My Love is Vengeance
by ALostHeart
Summary: Caroline leaves Mystic Falls after the council realizes what she really is. She's trying to mend her broken heart over Tyler's death when Klaus unexpectedly shows up to sweep her off her feet. Caroline refuses to believe that his intentions are innocent, but, very much to her dismay, she realizes that the Original Hybrid had gotten under her skin. Placed after 3X22.
1. Panic

**A/N: Hello everyone. So this is my first shot at writing an on-going fanfiction not just a one shot. I am very enthusiastic about this and well I just really hope you'd like it :D **

**WARNING: CONTAINS A LOT OF DRAMA AND TONS OF CRYING. You may not really think so first but, I promise it'll just come with time. You have been warned.**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TVD, OBVIOUSLY! If I did own it I'd be coming up with excuses to talk to Joseph Morgan now, and would have Klaus shirtless 90% of the time. Oh, and I'd have it focused on the Originals. But I don't *sigh***

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**My Love is Vengeance**

**Prologue**

_Caroline stared at Klaus, her eyes wide with horror. She swallowed the rising lump in her throat, refusing to let her tears drop in front of that monster. **Monster**, Caroline's brain scoffed. The sane part of her brain scoffed. That part didn't fully fall for his charm. That part wasn't fooled by his dimpled smile or sparkling blue eyes. That part was screaming at her I told you so. The one that was not controlled by her feelings, that didn't follow her foolish heart. _

_Klaus had the decency to lift his gaze to hers as he held the napkin that was whipping the blood away from his hand _

_'Came to join the fun, sweetheart?' He told her, his lips forming his trade mark smirk_

_All she could do is gasp, her whole body shaking from head to toe. She tried so hard to keep herself from breaking down, from shattering into tiny little pieces, crushed by his grip... the grip of a monster. **MONSTER**, her heart ached at the thought. _

**_Yes,Caroline, he is a monster_**_, that sane part of her brain scolded her, **and you're a moron**.  
**Yes I am a moron**._

* * *

**1: Panic**

Caroline slumped in her seat. The plane take-off was rather disturbing. Or maybe everything just seemed too much for her to handle right now. The flight attendant approached her with a smile plastered across her face.  
'Can I get you anything?' She asked politely  
'Yes, I want a refill' she pointed to her empty cup of scotch, unable to even form a polite sentence or to bring a polite smile to her lips.  
The attendant nodded and complied silently.  
_Thank God for compulsion, _Caroline thought as she rested her head back. Otherwise she wouldn't have been able to have alcohol. And that's what she needed, to drown in self petty with a strong drink.  
She thought back to only a few hours ago. Tyler's words still rung clearly in her ears "_You're strong and you have a beautiful future ahead of you_" But she wasn't sure she wanted it without him. A part of her, a very selfish part of her, wished that Klaus had not lied about being the creator of their bloodline, so she could die with Tyler. Caroline shook her head brushing the idea off, that would have left Elena broken-hearted, and Bonnie as well.  
She sighed and downed her drink. She hoped the attendant would come back soon, to give her another drink. Caroline wanted to numb it; she didn't want to feel any of the pain and was weighting the idea of turning it off. The pain was too unbearable. The mere thought of losing Tyler almost drove her insane. Damon and Stefan both did it. _Yes, quiet the role-models, _she thought sarcastically to herself, the ripper and the one who used blood, alcohol and meaningless sex to get over his pain. Well she was certainly borrowing the alcohol idea.  
'Having a rough day?' The man next to her asked, lifting his gaze from his book to her empty cup.  
Caroline nodded silently, not really in the mood for talking. For once.  
He gave her a sympathetic look.  
'I really hope you can work it out' he got the hint to not push it.  
She gave him a small smile and rested her head on the window. She couldn't see anything. The sky wore a dark-blue coat enhancing her melancholic mood. It was certainly not offering any comfort. She closed her eyes instead, realizing that she was tired. Maybe sleep could help her get over her misery for now.  
As if to emphasize the point, the lights went down, giving the passengers an opportunity to doze off a little before reaching their destination. Where was that again? Oh right Los Angeles. She tried to take a comfortable position in her seat, and shut her eyes. She prayed that his face would not hunt her. She prayed that the memory of what she left behind would not follow her to her sleep. Her friends, her mother, the world she knew, it was gone, all gone. Caroline shuddered, suddenly feeling very cold. She needed comfort, she needed someone. She needed Tyler. A tear slipped through her closed eyelids, staining her cheek.  
No, she won't break down; she's strong, beautiful, full of light.  
Her jaw clenched at the memory of _his words_, that ass-whole Original hybrid, the one who was the cause of all things bad. It was his entire fault. He brought them all this misery and heartache. Caroline felt a wave of satisfaction rush through her at the reminder that he was dead. Yes rotting in hell, hopefully... Or surely, actually. But he took Tyler with him, she thought sadly.  
Won't she be able to sleep, Goddammit!

* * *

She did sleep. For less than an hour, though. And it was dreadful, full of nightmares and faces of people she left behind, and Tyler's face. Tyler. Tyler. Tyler. She loved him. And he died. Tyler is dead. Tyler whom she will never be able to see again. His grey corpse would be lying in that Lockwoods cell now. She hoped not. She hoped that they would remember to go pick it up and bury it. Bury it underneath the willow where she will never see him again, his smile, his eyes. She almost screamed wanting to tear her hair off like a maniac. A throbbing headache invaded her. But that wasn't because of the lack of sleep, it was the mental pain, the first time she felt headache since her transition into a vampire.  
_Get a grip on yourself, Caroline; you are going to be just fine. _She thought to herself encouragingly, _you'll be just fine, give it time.  
_The plane landed and she went through the routine casually. After receiving her luggage, her first thought was to call her mother and Bonnie. Hoping into a cab, she directed the driver to a small hotel as she extracted her cellphone from her purse.  
Her battery was dying. She weighed her options and decided to call her mom once she got to the hotel, her other call was far more pressing.  
'Hello' Bonnie picked-up eagerly  
'Bonnie, hey' Caroline greeted her, relieved to hear a familiar voice.  
'Where are you?' Bonnie questioned  
'I just landed in LA' Caroline said trying not to sound so depressed. She suddenly realized that she hadn't even bothered to notice anything about the city. But really, who was in the mood for that? In fact as the thought settled in, Caroline felt like she was about to panic. She was in a strange city. She knew no one and had no one with her. She was alone in LA. Who knew what could happen. _  
You're a vampire Caroline. What could possibly happen? _She inhaled deeply.  
'That's great, Care, you always wanted to go there' Bonnie tried her best to sound normal, but Caroline knew that something was definitely wrong.  
'Bonnie what's wrong?' Caroline frowned, worried. She took a deep breath before panic could take over her again  
She could feel the inner struggle inside Bonnie whether to tell her or not, from the long silence on the other end.  
'Spill' Caroline demanded firmly  
Bonnie sighed but answered reluctantly 'It's Elena' she started slowly and Caroline's heart dropped, ready to panic for real this time. _The Originals must have killed her_, Caroline's mind raced 'She's in transition' Bonnie dropped the bomb  
'_WHAT?'_ to say that Caroline was flabbergasted would be an understatement. 'How? When? Why?' she blurted uncomprehendingly  
'It's Rebekah... Matt...Wickery Br... Drow...Mere...' Caroline's phone went dead.  
'You son of a bitch!' she yelled at her phone, crazy mad at the little device she could have crushed it. The driver's head snapped towards her 'Sorry I wasn't talking to you' She dropped her gaze in embarrassment  
She huffed in frustration. Seriously? A few hours away and Elena is a vampire already?

* * *

The hotel Caroline had chosen was a small, but neat hotel. She found it on a website a while back when she was contemplating the idea of taking a vacation with Tyler away from Mystic Falls and thought that it was perfect. It was neat, cute, romantic and affordable. Yes, the idea was planted in her head after Klaus had offered to take her wherever she wanted. But of course, the time was not nearly right. Because of that jerk of an Original. You know, the same one who offered her the world.  
She checked in and was directed to a simple room with a small bathroom and a nicely simple decor. There was a built-in wooden closet on one side of the room, on the opposite wall were two large windows, and the bed was set in the middle, the TV facing it on the far wall. She set her bags and crashed onto the bed. Her whole body was screaming at her for sleep. Quickly she took a shower and changed into comfortable clothes. She extracted her charger from her purse and hooked her phone to it.  
_Hi mom, I'm in LA _she started typing then erased it. _Hi mom, we're in LA. All is good. I'll call you soon. _  
She hit send, remembering Tyler asking her to not tell his mother. Caroline didn't want Liz to tell the mayor, it was the least she could do for Tyler who broke every bone in his body to be with her. Even more, Caroline really didn't want to talk about it, or explain what happened to her mother.  
She dialed Bonnie's number but no one picked up. Hardly a surprise, she thought, Elena is probably having a dilemma now. But Caroline was not worried. The Salvatores were sure as hell not going to let her die, nor would Jeremy, not even Bonnie. No one was ready to lose more people they loved. If it came down to it, Damon would tie her up to a chair and force her to complete the transition.  
Yep, Caroline wasn't worried at all.  
When Caroline called first thing in the morning next day, there still was no answer. She tried calling Stefan, Damon and Jeremy, but got no better result. And Caroline started to get anxious.  
She shook the feeling of wariness off, and decided to rob a blood bank. She hadn't had any blood in nearly twenty-four hours, and the thirst along with her heightened emotions was making a deadly combination of temptation. Compelling her way to blood had never been easier. LA was most definitely blissfully unaware of Vervain or vampires. Except in Twilight and True Blood, of course.  
The next day there was no answer from anyone either, and Caroline's anxiety was starting to turn into panic. It was around noon when she decided to go for a stroll and explore the city a bit, after all she couldn't go back right now, and maybe it could get her mind off of things. But she felt a heavy weight on her chest after an hour or so of roaming the city. Everything seemed uninteresting to her, and nothing could relief her from that gloom that hovered around her. Everything seemed colorless and depressing to her. The shiny smiles of passing couples only reminded her of the fact that she was supposed to be clutching Tyler's arm as they walked along the streets and took in its beauty. The laughter of little children triggered the disturbing recollection of the fact that she could never have any. Those groups of friends who talked loudly and laughed at each other's jokes made her ache for her friends' presence, which made her head snap right back to Elena.  
She called Bonnie for the billionth time, giving up on the idea of exploring and heading back to the hotel, but still no answer. In a desperate attempt she called Stefan but was immediately referred to the voice mail. She left a message hurriedly; begging him to call her and tell her what was happening.  
Caroline was too preoccupied with texting Bonnie when she stepped into the hotel lobby that she collided with a hard chest.  
'So sorry' Caroline muttered lifting her gaze to the man she just bumped into.  
'Fancy seeing you here, sweetheart' the man said, smirking the annoyingly very familiar smirk.  
Caroline's phone crashed into the floor with a loud shattering noise.  
She was standing in front of no one other than the ass-whole Original hybrid.

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**So tell me what you think in reviews, they make me VERY happy, and motivate me to continue :D**

**Oh, and please note that English is not my first language, so please do point my mistakes, but try your best to be gentle :D **

**Thank you! **


	2. Shock

**Hello everyone! New chapter :D Thanks to your awesomeness I got it done much earlier than I had planned. Thank you so much for everyone who added this story to their alerts and favorites! I'm glad you think it's worth it :D But please if you have time to review, do! Anything would mean a lot to me. Now I'm not complaining, don't get me wrong you guys made my day, but just saying :P**

**Off with my rambling. Happy reading :D  
**

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**2: Shock **

'Easy now' Klaus bent down to pick up her phone 'These devices are fragile' He spoke fighting the urge to chuckle.

Caroline just stared at him as he held out her broken phone for her. She didn't react and it made him grin for some reason that was beyond Caroline to understand. She just stood there, her mouth hung opened.

Klaus gave up on smirking after a few moments. Sighing profoundly he took her limp hand in his and rested the cell in her palm, having to force her fingers to close on it.

There was something about his touch that caused her to snap back to reality.

'What… How… Why … when..' She tried to ask 'You are dead' She exclaimed at last, giving up on questioning.

'It's really good to see you, too, love' He pressed a hand to where his heart was supposed to be, twisting his face to a playful hurt expression.

'Don't give me that crap! You are dead!' She said her voice a pitch higher than appropriate. She could feel stares from around the hotel lobby on them.

He shifted his weight from one foot to another uncomfortably.

'Maybe we should have this conversation somewhere private' He said serious. Without waiting for her response, he grabbed her elbow gently and he led her to the elevator. He was leading her through a door when she realized that she was willingly stepping into his rented hotel room. Maybe not so willingly, she could barely comprehend what was happening.

She shook his hand off when they stepped in. He shut the door quietly.

Caroline took deep breaths, in and out, closing her eyes 'I must be dreaming' she muttered repeatedly 'I'll wake up in a second'

Klaus stood leaning against the door waiting for her to register the information at hand. She fluttered her eyes opened and they immediately landed on his figure. She groaned in frustration, but her lips gradually formed a huge grin as the realization hit.

_This means Tyler's alive,_ her heart fluttered at the thought. Klaus looked confused by the sudden change of her manners.

'Tyler! Tyler!' She beamed almost jumping up and down of happiness. Her thoughts ran wild as she tried to push him out of her way. Who cares about why he was alive or what happened? Tyler must be alive. If her heart was still beating it would have been racing.

'Caroline, you need to listen to me' Klaus grabbed her arms and forced her to stand still. He looked upset, and very much so. The look in his eyes was what held her steady in place more than his grip on her arms. She tried hard to straighten her face but failed miserably.

'Tyler's dead' he said coldly but immediately regretted it when her face fell 'he's dead' He cleared his throat dropping her gaze.

'No he's not' Caroline said shakily 'I mean he was supposed to die because you died. But you are not dead so he should be alive' She added hopefully.

'You should probably sit down and let me explain what happened'

She swallowed, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

'Well?' She said impatiently, when he stayed silent

Klaus took a deep breath and spoke quietly

'Bonnie didn't want to take any chances by risking your lives. She knew that I probably was not lying about creating your bloodline so she ensured my survival' He paused, checking her reaction, but her face was blank 'She put me in Tyler's body to save your lives, and put a spell on my body to preserve it'

'Oh' was all she could say

'The spell was not supposed to kill Tyler, but something went wrong, and when she switched me back to my own body he just.. Turned grey' his voice dropped towards the end 'I'm so sorry' He spoke softly, approaching her cautiously. He did not care about the boy in the slightest. Tyler was not sired to him and was as good as useless to Klaus. But Caroline loved Tyler. Even if this fact irritated Klaus, he could not ignore it. The least he could do was show sympathy for Caroline's sake, and not admit the fact that the disposal of Tyler was, in fact, rather pleasing to him.

She stood up, quickly putting up a hand to stop him from approaching her.

'So Bonnie did that to save us but killed Tyler even though he was the one who most certainly needed your survival?' Caroline shook her head, eyes wide with disbelief

'Usually this spell does not kill the person who I inhabit their body' he explained hesitantly, planting himself in his place. 'But something went wrong in the spell. We do not know if it was when she placed me in his body first or when she switched me back to my own later'

'You killed Tyler' Caroline whispered

'Caroline, I'm so sorry' Klaus hunched his shoulders in frustration.

'Stop saying that!' Caroline yelled at him, anger taking control over her 'I know you are not sorry. You damn killed him! _You goddamn killed him!_'by the end of the sentence she was screaming at the top of her lungs.

'I did not kill him!' Klaus screamed back 'If you do not remember, let me refresh your memory, I was desiccated. _Your _friends desiccated me. _Tyler _desiccated me. _I _had no clue what was happening. One minute I'm being attacked by _your _friends, the next I'm consoling an inconsolable you because you thought I was dead and Tyler was to follow'

Caroline's expression turned from anger to rage to fury '_WHAT?_' she shouted as loud as her vocal cords allowed her. She could feel her throat getting scratched as she did so 'It was _YOU? How dare you? How could you? Why would you do that to me? Why would you take that moment away from us?_'

Klaus backed down. He realized he had said the wrong thing at the very wrong time

'I didn't think that he would die, Caroline' he spoke calmly 'I didn't think I'd be stealing your last moment with him away. So I just thought that..'

'So you just thought that you could steal a kiss or two from me since you know I'll never do it knowing it's you' She cut him off, still screaming.

He sighed. And that was his only response.

'You know what? You're an even bigger jerk than I thought you were' She said heading for the door.

'Caroline..' he called out almost desperately

'Shut the hell up, and get the fuck away from me'

She closed the door harshly, leaving a trembling door frame and a very much frustrated Klaus behind.

Caroline was running to her room without even realizing it. Her legs seemed to act on their own accord without any sort of connection to her very much distraught brain. Her whole body was shaking. Not only was she shocked, she was pained and angry as well. How come it could hit her twice? How come she could receive the news of his death twice?

Her hands were shaking when she entered her room and collapsed to the floor, bringing her knees up to her chest. She held herself together firmly, as though if she loosened her grip around her shaking body it would fall apart. It was then when she realized that her tears were running down her face. He was dead even though Klaus was not. Was this some sort of a huge joke that the universe decided to throw in her face? The only thing that made Tyler's death somewhat acceptable was the fact that Klaus went down with him. Her anger, however, was not directed to the jerk of an Original as much as it was directed towards Bonnie. Bonnie was supposed to be her friend for crying out loud! And it was _her _spell that killed Tyler. She might have meant well, but _she_ killed him. She made a mistake and it killed him.

Caroline didn't have time to process the thought further for she felt something vibrating in her hand. It was her phone. She had even forgotten that she was still holding it. Glancing at the badly broken screen she tried to identify the caller.

'Stefan' she answered her voice hoarse.

'Hey Caroline, What's wrong? Are you OK? You sound terrible' he answered, immediately alarmed.

'No, Stefan, I'm not OK. Everything is wrong' **  
**

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**OK, yes I had to kill Tyler 'cause I am a horrible person :P No really I just had to, because he would've gotten in the way of the story, so I just got rid of him. RIP Tyler. **

**Oh and updates may not always be this quick, I thought you should now. However, I could get really motivated by you guys. Yes I am shamelessly asking for a bribe XD  
**

**Thanks for reading ;)  
**


	3. Darkness

**Thanks for all the reviews and alerts and favorites. It really means A LOT to me! You guys are AWESOME :D  
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**3: Darkness **

'Caroline, what happened?' Stefan urged her. She could feel his rising panic_. _

_Always such a good friend_, she smiled to herself despite the pain.

'How could she do this to me, Stefan?' Caroline's voice was an almost inaudible whisper.

'Caroline, what's going on?' He said through gritted teeth.

'How could Bonnie do this, Stefan?'

From the deep sigh that was followed by a long silence on the other end, Caroline realized that he knew what she was referring to.

Her tears were streaming down her face, tears of hurt, tears of anger, tears of betrayal. As far as she could tell, Stefan could have known about this all along. As far as she could tell they all knew about it but kept it from her 'How could _you_ do this to me, Stefan?' she asked miserably

'Caroline...' he started haltingly

'Don't' she cut him off

'No, no you have to listen to me. We did not know about this plan. No one knew of Bonnie's plan except for her. She told us only two hours ago and I wanted to give you the heads up' He quickly explained stopping her from ending the call.

'She killed him, Stefan' it almost felt like poison rushing through her veins as she breathed out those words.

'She was only trying to help' Stefan said quietly, a helpless attempt to reason with her broken heart. He tried despite his better judgment. He knew that it was useless. She was too angry, too anguished to listen to anything but the throbs of her pain, the feeling of bitterness and betrayal had taken over her mind. Reasoning was of no use.

'She _killed _him' she clenched her jaw.

'She didn't mean to, Caroline. She only wanted to protect us. What happened was not in her plan. We would have all been dead if it wasn't for her' Stefan's voice was composed, in spite of his rising frustration

'Don't defend her' Caroline shouted furiously through the phone 'she _killed _him'

Everything went absolutely still on the other end until Caroline heard a smug, distant voice

'Give up, brother. You can't possibly get Vampire Barbie to be reasonable when she is all rainbows and unicorns, let alone when she's grieving' the voice, surely, belonged to Damon.

'Go to hell, Damon' Stefan's ear suffered as Caroline yelled through the phone

'Already there, Blondie' Damon said sarcastically, chuckling.

'I'm sorry, Caroline' Stefan cut off her childish ramblings with Damon 'I wish there is something I could do'

Caroline sniffled as a response.

'Wait, how did you find out?' Stefan frowned

'Klaus is here. He told me' Caroline shrugged the insignificant fact away

'Oh no' Stefan gasped

'What? What's wrong?' Caroline swallowed loudly.

'Listen to me, Caroline. You have to leave' Stefan urged 'You cannot let Klaus anywhere near you, Caroline. Do not wait. Take the first plane out of the country and leave. Don't allow him to be around you. And get the hell out of there'

'What are you talking about, Stefan?' As crazy as it was Caroline did not feel threatened by Klaus, probably because if he wanted her dead she would've been dead already.

'Klaus is in vengeance mode now, Caroline. He'll do anything, he'll say anything to get back at us and you know how big he is on mind-games'

'Listen to Stefan, Barbie' Damon intruded 'I really don't want to come and clean up the mess you make'

'Fine' Caroline rolled her eyes 'I'll leave as soon as possible'

'I'm coming over' Stefan suddenly said 'At least 'till we get you out of the US. I don't want him to hurt you in any way'

'What? No, you're not!' Caroline exclaimed 'I can take care of myself, Stefan; you have to trust me on this one. Elena needs all the support she could get now, she needs _you._ And if Klaus wanted me dead I'd be dead, but that doesn't seem to be the plan, so relax' she reassured him 'Besides, if he sees you he'll kill you without flinching. I won't allow you to put your life in danger.'

'OK' Stefan breathed, a bit frustrated 'I trust you'

'OK, give my best to Elena' She smiled and hung up

Slowly, so very slowly, she rose to her feet and dragged herself towards the bed where she collapsed. She felt drained of energy to the point that she couldn't even cry anymore.

_Stefan is right_, she thought _I should leave_. But she was too tired to go anywhere. _Tomorrow, first thing in the morning, _she promised herself as her eyelids dropped.

* * *

_She was wandering through the woods of what seemed to be Mystic Falls. The night had set in, and everything that moved around her had an uncomfortable eerie sense_ _about it. She wrapped her arms around herself, a helpless attempt to keep out the chills that invaded her body. She turned around at the sound of steps. _

_'Who's there?' her voice was hoarse, her breath caught in her throat, she could see her breath as she talked. She shuddered. _

_There was no answer. She repeated the question but again without luck. She gulped down, bracing herself for a fight with whoever walked in the shadows. _

_'Hello Caroline' a familiar voice said from behind her. She turned around but saw no one. The voice was so familiar but she couldn't place it. Her brain struggled to conjure up the picture of whoever the voice belonged to, yet it seemed to be blocked. _

_'Who is it?' she said again. This time her throat hurt as she talked. Was it the fear or was she truly losing her voice?_

_'You seem lost, sweetheart' the velvet, sweet voice of Klaus said from behind her. She turned to find his figure leaning against a tree trunk. He was dressed in black from head to toe, perfectly matching the woods around him that only his face and hands were visible, all else blended perfectly with the darkness of the woods. _

_'What are you doing here?' she swallowed visibly _

_'I'm here to take you back home, love. You seem like you need guidance' he said innocently. _

_He reached his hand. _

_'Don't listen to him' the familiar voice said again. _

_She eyed his stretched hand suspiciously. _

_'I'm just taking you home, Caroline. I won't bite' He told her soothingly _

_'He's bluffing, Caroline!' the voice shouted 'You should run! Get the hell out of there' _

_Caroline heard that before, but couldn't place it either. _

_A powerful gush of cold wind stormed, and she tightened her grip around herself. _

_'It's getting cold, love. I'm sure you do not intend to spend the night here' Klaus urged her. _

_Caroline's gaze traveled around her, a sudden fear invading her. She didn't know whether she feared Klaus or the woods around her more. _

_She hesitantly reached to take his hand as he smiled widely at her. As soon as her hand rested in his, his smile turned into a smirk. _

_'NO CAROLINE!' the familiar voice warned her 'RUN CAROLINE!'_

* * *

Caroline gasped sitting up in her bed. She brought a shaky hand to her throat, trying to steady her breathing.

There was a soft knock on the door.

_It was a nightmare_, her mind tried to comfort her, but Caroline's thoughts were running wild. No, it was not just a nightmare, it was a message. Someone was trying to send her a message. That voice, to whom did it belong? Just like she couldn't place it in her dream, she couldn't remember it awake. How come she couldn't remember that voice? It's like she had not heard it at all. Her subconscious had replaced it with her own voice.

'It's OK, it was just a nightmare' she told herself again, inhaling deeply

A more urgent knock on the door jerked her out of her thoughts.

'Who is it?' she asked shakily

'It's me, Caroline' Klaus's voice answered her 'Are you OK?'

She glanced at her watch. It was still eight PM. She must have slept for less than two hours.

'Why are you here?' she said weakly, much to her disappointment

'I wanted to check on you. You seemed upset when you left today' he explained seeming honestly concerned.

'I'm fine. You can stop pretending that you care now' she snapped

'But I do care, Caroline. You may not believe me, but I do care' He said softly.

'Yeah, right' she scoffed.

'Can we at least ta.. ' he was startled by the door swinging opened in front of him.

She folded her arms across her chest.

'What do you want, Klaus?' she demanded impatiently

'I just wanted to check on you'

'No, why did you follow me? Why are here? What do you want from me?' She questioned

'I didn't follow you' he smirked 'it was a lucky coincidence'

'Sure it was' she snorted 'I know what you are up to'

He raised an eyebrow at her 'And what am I up to? Please do enlighten me' He, too, folded his arms across his chest, leaning against the door frame.

'I know you want to get even with the Salvatores' she said firmly

'Right, that I want to do' he said frankly 'But I don't see how that's any of your concern, love'

'Yeah, sure, so you just happen to put your plan on hold so you could be a creepy stalker for a while' she said sarcastically.

'Well, I made a deal with Bonnie. She wouldn't put me back in my own body until I promised to leave town. So for now, I am keeping my promise' he shrugged.

'Of course you are. And I don't happen to be a part of a grand scheme of yours, do I? You are not trying to lure me over to the dark side to get back at them' she raised her eyebrows at him suggestively

He chuckled 'Sweet Caroline, don't be ridiculous. I wouldn't do that. Your light is what attracted me to you in the first place. I would be a fool to take it away' he smiled enchantingly at her, all dimples and sparkling blue eyes.

_Oh boy! He looks so handsome when he's not threatening anyone,_ she dismissed her annoying thought at once.

'Right, because you _fancy_ me' She mocked his words.

'Yes, love, I do. And I came here to invite you to dinner' His smile widened

'As if' she scoffed.

'Why not, love? You seem like you need company' he reasoned

'What I need is for you take a Goddamn hint' she said and slammed the door in his face harshly.

_Stefan is so right. I shouldn't be anywhere within Klaus's reach, _Caroline sighed.

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**Thanks for reading! Please review :))**


	4. Failed Attempt

**Hello folks! Another chapter :D Now this is kinda short, and for that I'm sorry, but I had to split it and the next one because otherwise it would be _too _long, so...  
**

**Happy reading!  
**

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**4: Failed Attempt**

Like ordered, Caroline was sitting in an airplane within fourteen hours from her encounter with Klaus. She packed what little she had with her and hopped on a plane heading to London. Surprisingly, she found herself excited for this trip. London may be too rainy for Caroline's taste, but change might do her good. Besides, if she acted a bit out of character, Klaus may have trouble finding her. If Katherine could stay out of his reach for God-Knows-how-long, then so could she. At least, that's what she hoped.

Fidgeting in her seat -conveniently placed beside the window- she stared at her watch. They were five minutes late for their take off and she just had to roll her eyes at late passengers. One of them might be her travelling partner, she thought glancing at the empty seat beside her.

'Right this way, sir' She heard the flight attendant say.

Not the least bit interested in socializing with whoever it was to sit next to her, she rested her head on the chair and waited for the take-off. If only she could sleep, so little was her sleep the night before. She had spent the night turning and tossing in her bed, unable to contain the anxiety that seemed to take residence in her mind suddenly. The dream still conquered her thoughts. The more she thought about it, the more distant The Voice seemed to be, and the more frightening it grew.

She felt the seat next to her being occupied 'Thank you very much'

Caroline froze in her place like a marble statue. Too shocked to move she heard no one other than Klaus sweetly chatting with the flight attendant. There was a hint of smile in his voice as he repeatedly thanked her. So very politely that it was terrifying how he could be so sweet to lure in his victims. Caroline clenched her jaw when he finally addressed her

'And how have you been, Miss Forbes?' He grinned.

'Seriously?' she glared at him

'I can't help it if I'm a lucky man, Sweet Caroline' He spoke gently, his smile reaching his eyes.

'Yes, of course, you are.' She rolled her eyes 'You are one lucky Original Hybrid' She added mumbling, beyond irritated.

He chuckled in response.

She clasped her lips tight, fighting the urge to punch him in the face. Maybe a broken nose would break his arrogance. If only he wouldn't heal immediately, she thought, frustrated.

'You know you're really adorable when you are angry, love?' He smirked, gazing at her angry expression.

'Again with the pet names' she said through gritted teeth.

'What pet names, _love_?' he teased. And this time she had to fold her arms across her chest to be able to keep them for herself. She found herself wishing that the plane had three chairs is the row instead of only two. Of course it is somewhat tiresome, but anything could be more comfortable than spending a ten hours flight with Klaus, without a third party that may alleviate the damage.

Dammit she should have been friends with Katherine; perhaps she would have learned something about fleeing Klaus.

'How the hell did you find me?' she huffed

'Well, sweetheart, you don't exactly make it difficult for anyone to find you.' He shrugged 'Anyone who's like me, that is' Klaus smirked at her.

'What the hell does that supposed to mean?' she asked raising an eyebrow at him

'I knew after our last spat you wouldn't stay in LA. It was the obvious thing to do. All I had to do was track down your movements and compel my way to your flight.' He gave her an innocent smile

'Oh God' she sighed thinking how creepy it was to be stalked by Klaus 'and the seat next to me just happened to be unoccupied?'

'Of course not, love! I compelled a nice young girl to cancel the reservation and have me instead. See how keen I am on spending time with you, Sweet Caroline?' he winked

'Of course you are' she scoffed 'You know, you probably cost that girl her job' she scolded

'And you have no one other than yourself to blame for that, Sweet Caroline'

She wished he would stop calling her that, already!

'How's that?' Caroline frowned

'Well, if you had just stayed with me in LA for a while then I would have taken you wherever you wanted' Klaus said frankly 'And I would have certainly gotten seats in a better class, Sweet Caroline' he added with a smile

Caroline balled her fists. _This had to stop_, she thought. She didn't know why it bothered her so much, but it was too intimate to be called that by Klaus, especially since she liked the sound of it. _What? No!_

'Just tell me what you want from me' Caroline said quietly holding his gaze

He sighed looking away. He seemed deep in thoughts for a second as he stared at his hands where they lay on his lap.

'You're not going to believe me if I say I'm just looking out for you, are you?' he finally asked quietly with a hint of sadness in his voice, still not looking at her

She swallowed. That was not what she expected. She expected something witty and flirtatious, instead that was cute, sweet even.

_Focus Caroline! This is Klaus we are talking about! _

'Of course not' she snapped.

She even less expected the look on his face when his eyes returned to hers. It was a mixture of sadness and bitterness which he quickly concealed with his usual devilish smirk 'Then I will settle for whatever _you_ think I want from you'

_Back to his real self. That I can deal with _she thought, relieved.

They were silent as the plane took off, and despite the unnerving feeling Klaus's presence gave Caroline; her tired body finally got the best of her.

Caroline slowly drifted to sleep with Klaus's voice ringing in her ears, softly whispering soothingly 'Sweet dreams, Sweet Caroline'

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	5. Embedded Threat

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**5: Embedded Threat **

When Caroline shifted in her place, her cheek came in contact with a fabric that she was not familiar with. The friction was hardly enough to pull her out of her unconsciousness and despite the pain that occupied her neck muscles, she, immediately, fell back into her deep slumber.

Much to Klaus's surprise, she was far more comfortable than he thought she would be with her head resting on his shoulder and her body enveloped with his jacket. Of course, Klaus knew that he wouldn't hear the end of it once she opened her eyes, and the thought made him roll his eyes, but chuckle to himself, nonetheless.

Although he tried to focus on reading _War and Peace, _the magnificent masterpiece that mesmerized him no matter how many times he read it, his concentration shifted repeatedly to the gorgeous blonde that slept so peacefully next to him. He couldn't help but stare at her beauty, even with her face hidden from his vision, his eyes seemed glued to her blonde curls. Listening to her steady breathing, he couldn't help but think how angelic she seemed, and a pang of something that resembled guilt hit him, but he quickly shrugged it off, trying to draw his attention back to Tolstoy.

* * *

'How long did I sleep?' was Caroline's first question; which she asked before opening her eyes or beginning to understand her surroundings.

'Four hours, love' Klaus answered casually.

She, however, did not hear his answer, for the realization hit. And despite her rising anger, her embarrassment seemed far more powerful in this situation in which she was placed. Yet, it was impossible that she would show Klaus anything other than scowling and scolding. Murmuring embarrassed apologies was not even remotely an option. Still, it took her more than a second to recollect herself and move from the stiff, frozen position her body had involuntarily taken.

'Are you alright, Sweet Caroline?' he lastly asked when he felt her stiffen beside him and his tone seemed genuinely concerned, but the usage of the name was the exact boost of anger that Caroline needed. With a sudden movement she jerked away from him that he gave a start. He expected the reaction, surely, but he couldn't help but feel offended when she threw his jacket in his face with a disgusted grimace spreading across her beautiful features. He stared at her wide-eyed, suppressing a huff of frustration.

'You are unbelievable!' She scowled at him

'What did I do now?' He rolled his eyes.

'How dare you wrap your disgusting jacket around me and rest my head on your shoulder?' she hissed

A tingling sensation on his shoulder was triggered at her notion. He dismissed the feeling at once.

'This is absurd, Caroline' she didn't miss the upset tone that he tried to conceal with whatever calmness he had 'Your head just dropped on my shoulder, and it didn't seem right to bother you. And you seemed cold, I gave you my jacket. It's not my fault that you decided to fly in the worst section of the plane.' He waved his hand in the air as if telling her to move on.

But with Caroline that was never the case

'I'm a frigging vampire' she whispered the last word 'I do not feel cold. Besides not everyone lived for a thousand years and had the time to collect God-knows-how-much-money' she said proudly

He was about to say something, but Caroline cut him off 'And don't you dare say use compulsion, it's absolutely unaccepted' she said as though reading his thoughts.

Klaus sighed 'Can't you just accept the gesture and say thank you? I promise you I won't think that you tolerate me any more if you do so' he forced a smile and Caroline didn't miss the hint of sadness in his voice by the end of the sentence.

'Fine' she straightened in her seat 'Thank you, Mr. Mikealson' she bowed her head slightly, imitating the movements she had watched in _Pride and Prejudice_.

Her intention was to be sarcastic; instead she made him laugh. It was a true genuine laugh that she only heard once before, back at the ball when he promised to take her to Tokyo.

Seeing him laugh felt somewhat contagious that the corners of Caroline's mouth lifted gradually to form a very much suppressed smile.

'You didn't have to sound so formal, love' He grinned at her

'Well at least I made you laugh' she said sarcastically. Nonetheless, she meant it. And her honesty was reflected in her eyes when they met his. For the first time Caroline noted the ever present sadness in his blue eyes. Ever so rarely did his eyes seem to spark with life.

_He may be a sadistic mass-murderer, but it was so sad that his life lacked love and laughter so much_. And Caroline being Caroline winced at the thought of the loneliness he had to deal with through the years.

_'And I could let you die if that's what you want; if you truly believe your existence has no meaning. I've thought about it once or twice over the centuries, truth be told.'_

Caroline bit her lower lip at the memory of that night when he saved her life and gave her hope. The tears in his eyes, his words dripping with sincerity, she remembered it all even though her brain had been foggy then. She felt sorry for him, and genuinely so. He had never been loved, never loved, never known what it meant to be in love to have someone who would do anything for you. Everything he's ever done was to fill that gap in his heart which seemed to get bigger and bigger with each passing day.

Caroline turned away from his gaze, fearing that her transparent face would show all her emotions.

'What's wrong, Sweet Caroline?' he asked her gently, noting the change in the air instantly.

'Nothing' she had to clear her throat, hesitantly turning back to him 'I just got distracted' she did not convince him with the weak smile she managed to break, but he let go of the subject.

* * *

Easy silence took over as the flight attendant showed up with food that neither of them was interested in. Klaus resumed reading _War and Peace_ occasionally glancing at Caroline who was lazily flipping through a fashion magazine. Much to Caroline's surprise, those magazines were not as entertaining as they used to be, but out of sheer habit, she kept buying them.

She caught Klaus glancing over his heavy book twice. The first time he quickly turned his eyes back to the book, avoiding another possible firing. The second time, however, he had a mischievous grin across his face which indicated that he was up to something.

'What?' she asked a little more softly and more smiley than intended.

He seemed to ponder something for a few moments. Then, putting his book away and turning his full attention to Caroline, he drew in a deep breath and started.

'I'd like to offer you a deal'

She raised her eyebrows at him quizzically

'Well, you obviously don't like having me follow you around' he stated

'Obviously'

'And that you do not want my company'

'That's true' she nodded firmly

'But the thing is that I want yours' he said vulnerably

'Oh' Caroline mouthed, temporarily shocked by his very humane expression. Once recovered, she placed her magazine in her hand bag as well and turned her attention fully to Klaus 'So what are you suggesting?'

'I am suggesting that you give me a chance' he smiled at her. She wanted to scoff at his offer but he quickly cut her off, continuing urgently 'Let me be your guide through England. I'll show you all the best places there's to see and take you all over the country. I will act as solely your guide. I will not talk unless you ask me to or to talk about the place that we visit. However, I do get to take you to dinner every night and court you properly' he wiggled his eyebrows at her playfully.

Caroline frowned. It was certainly tempting. Who wouldn't want to hear the history of the place from someone who once lived in that history? Who wouldn't want a guide like Klaus who lived for a thousand years and saw all the beauty the world has to offer. But it seemed confusing to her why he wanted to find a way to her heart so desperately. He should have given up by now. Even more, Stefan's warning still rung in her ears, and the dream that she was yet to explain urged her to turn it down.

'You don't have to worry about anything' he quickly added, sensing her hesitation 'Everything will be taken care of. Residence, transportation… money for shopping' he said the last one grinning

'And I'd accept that wonderful offer of yours because…?'

'Because if you don't I'll follow wherever you go and breathe down your neck wherever you are and you will see me whenever you turn' he stated smiling innocently at her

'So it's an embedded threat, ha?' she scoffed

'That's hardly a threat, sweetheart. I have no interest in harming you, whatsoever' he shrugged 'Think about it, love, if you let me show you London and after that you didn't wish me to accompany you to wherever you'd like to go next, I'll just leave you alone. So you only have to bear with me for two or three weeks' he raised an eyebrow suggestively.

'Assuming that I'd agree to that brilliant deal of yours, could I list _my _conditions as well?' she asked confidently. Sure it was most likely a foolish thing to make a deal with Klaus that had no guarantee except for his word, but he made perfect sense to her. She did not want to spend the rest of her life running away from Klaus like Katherine; it brings nothing but misery and is quite tiresome. If she had a possible way out, might as well explore it. As for his possible-retaliation plan, she would make sure to keep him at arm's length; even more if possible.

'Certainly, love. It's all about compromise' he said confidently, not losing his smile.

'We get separate rooms in the hotel' she started

'One suite, but with two rooms' he quickly corrected her

'Fine' she squinted 'You don't get to take me out or to have any meal with me other than dinner'

'Unless you wanted me to' he nodded

_As if, _she thought, but nodded anyway

'No pet names' she listed her third condition 'you can call me Caroline and that's it. No love, sweetheart or _sweet Caroline_. Just Caroline'

He grinned at this, clearly amused 'Can I call you Miss Forbes?'

'Yeah that's fine, too' she shrugged, then added determinately after a second thought 'Actually it's far more preferable than Caroline, keeps things more formal'

'Well, you're free to call me whatever you want, lo… _Caroline__**'**_ he corrected himself quickly and it was her turn to grin.

'So do we have a deal?' he asked looking at her intently

'Before we get to that, can I just ask you why you are so insistent on this whole thing. Why does it matter so much to have my company or whatever?'

'I fancy you' said he simply, a charming smile occupying his lips enough to take her breath away.

_No snarky remarks,_ she thought, _you'll trip on your words. _

'I'm probably crazy, but yes we do have a deal' she breathed after what seemed an eternity to him.

His smile widened, lightening a spark in his blue eyes. It made Caroline's heart jump with giddiness at the thought that she could have that reaction from Klaus.

_Snap out of it Goddammit! This is Klaus! May this trip be as brief as it possibly can. _

He extended a hand that was to seal the deal. Caroline's hand trembled as it rested in his and a sound at the back of her mind echoed irritatingly

_You better know what you're getting yourself into, Caroline. You better know…_

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	6. Welcome to London

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**6: Welcome to London**

It was around 6AM when the plane landed disturbingly, but it was still dark indicating that it was much earlier.

'Cloudy weather' Klaus murmured to himself absently.

They went through the routine of stamping their passports (Much to Caroline's surprise Klaus actually had one and didn't just compel people to let him through) and collecting their luggage. Klaus acted like the perfect gentleman when he insisted on carrying her small bag. He, too, carried a small bag which caused Caroline to raise her eyebrows at him quizzically

'I like to travel light, Caroline, since I'm not settling down anywhere just yet' he smiled sweetly at her.

'I get that the rest of your stuff are still in Mystic Falls, then' she said dryly.

'I'll get them later' he shrugged

'So you plan on going back' she concluded 'And you're surely going to kill the Salvatores' she snapped at him

He stopped dead in his tracks and his tone was annoyed when he spoke

'I have no interest in arguing with you first thing in the morning, Caroline' and with that notion she pressed her lips. Even if stubborn, she knew when to stop. One more snarky remark and he'll go to "_I'll kill you and everyone you've ever met"-_mode.

Caroline excused herself to a payphone as Klaus went to a desk to arrange their transportation method to whatever hotel he planned to take them to. Something fancy, she guessed.

She contemplated the idea of calling Elena before dialing Stefan's phone number, but decided against it. She had to tell someone that she was around Klaus that she had made a deal with him. Should anything happen to her, they'd know who did it. Elena was still busy with her unwilling transition, and Stefan just seemed the one to rely on in such cases.

'Hello' he answered on the first ring.

'Hey, Stefan' she said cheerfully, glad to hear his voice, and other distant voices of someone arguing, she recognized Damon's and Elena's voices 'What's going on there?' she asked, frowning

'The usual' Stefan sighed, obviously distressed with the situation 'Damon wants to go up against Rebekah and kill her with that undying white-oak stake and Elena is trying to get some sense into his head after I gave up. If desiccating Klaus had taught us anything, it would be that those siblings would always avenge each other's death. Maybe he'll listen to her'

'Wait, so Rebekah is still there?'

'Yes, in the big mansion' Stefan groaned 'but to be completely fair she hadn't caused any troubles until now. Probably, it has something to do with the fact that she wants a normal life or something. Where are you?'

'I'm in London' she declared happily 'And it's raining' her voice dropped, which made Stefan laugh 'Hey! I like the sun!' She defended herself

'I didn't say anything' he said, still chuckling, and Caroline couldn't help but smile. Stefan was so serious and broody all the time that she forgot how cute his laugh sounded

'How's Elena?' she asked but instantly regretted it. His voice turned back to its usual worried tone

'She's doing well. There had been a few difficulties here and there, but overall, she's handling it bravely'

'Of course, she has you. I mean look how much you helped me' she encouraged him

'You give me too much credit, Caroline' There was a hint of smile in his voice

Just then she remembered that she did not know what happened to Elena. Glancing to where Klaus was standing, she decided there was no time for that. She had to cut to the chase

'Stefan, listen,' she started seriously 'there is something that I need to tell you'

'What is it?' his voice was alarmed

'Klaus is with me' she whispered and heard nothing but silence on the other end, even the arguing stopped, which indicated that they were all listening to what she had to say 'He followed me' she cleared her throat

There were a million questions on the other end all in the same time, from distant and close voices, asking her what did he want and if he can hear them or if he hurt her or when was she leaving London and if maybe she should get back to Mystic Falls and ignore the council, Klaus was more dangerous. Damon's voice stood out though, because he was scolding her, telling her that she should've been more careful and original with her choice of country, like Afghanistan, maybe. Caroline rolled her eyes at this and inwardly cursed Stefan for putting her on speaker.

'Guys, stop it!' she shouted and all was silent, again 'I made a deal with him'

'What the hell does that supposed to mean?' Damon asked

Caroline drew in a deep breath and explained the conditions of their deal quickly

'You gotta be kiddin' me' Damon growled 'You made a Goddamn deal with the devil? How stupid is that, Barbie?'

'It was my best option, Damon' she huffed 'Would you have wanted me to spend my life running away from Klaus?'

'Uhh, YEAH!' he declared as if it was the obvious option 'At least until you can get back to Mystic Falls, when we get rid of all those stupid council members'

'Damon is probably right, Caroline' Stefan said quietly 'I have specifically asked you to stay away from Klaus for a reason, Caroline' Stefan's voice carried the air of brotherly authority

'I know, Stefan' Caroline sighed 'Look, Klaus is totally planning on getting revenge for the desiccation thingy, and this deal is the only thing keeping him away from Mystic Falls. If I end the deal with him, he'll go back and stake you both in a second. So if I can keep him away for a while then I will'

'Caroline, I really appreciate what you're trying to do, but we cannot let you be the sacrificial lamb here' Stefan said softly

'Yes, Elena would kill us' Damon intruded, sarcastically of course

'Besides that's not the only thing that's keeping him away' Bonnie stepped in which made Caroline's jaw clench, recalling the fact that she killed Tyler 'I made him promise that he'll leave Mystic Falls, or I wouldn't have returned him to his own body' Bonnie added quickly

'Yeah, I know all about your deal with him' Caroline said dryly

'Caroline..' Bonnie started apologetically

'Don't' Caroline cut her off immediately 'Besides that's hardly keeping him away. You lost your leverage, already. You cannot do anything if he came back'

'Listen, Caroline,' Elena started salvaging the situation and hearing her voice made Caroline realize how much she missed her 'All we're trying to do is to get you away from danger. A deal with Klaus is dangerous. You know you can't trust him' Elena reasoned

'I know he can't be trusted, Elena, and I am not trusting him' Caroline said softly 'All I'm saying is this is my best option for now'

'Make sure he doesn't trick you into anything, Caroline' Stefan lectured, seeing no point in further arguing. He, too, cursed Caroline inwardly for what he considered a reckless move, even more for being so stubborn. 'And stay on Vervain'

'I will'

'Say hello to Mr. Salvatore for me, love, will you?' Klaus said from behind her and she turned to give him a meaningful look 'I mean Caroline' this was harder than he thought it would be

'Is that him, Care?' Elena asked and Caroline shuddered at the recollection that her friend was a vampire.

'Guys I have to go' she dismissed them

'Of course, you have to' Damon started 'You have an Original Hybrid to screw'

'Bye' she said ignoring him and hanging up.

The last thing she heard from the far end was Stefan's voice telling her to be extra careful.

Klaus gave her a smile and reached a hand for her to take

'Shall we?'

She rolled her eyes and walked past him, completely ignoring his extended hand.

He chuckled. This was going to be fun.

* * *

Caroline gasped when they reached the entrance of The Ritz. During their drive in the shiny black limousine, she had tried, to no avail, to guess their destination. However, Klaus kept chuckling and smirking at her without commenting. She gave up eventually and enjoyed the ride in the limousine. She felt like some sort of a celebrity.

Two handsomely dressed men rushed to carry their luggage.

'Mr. Mikealson!' the red-haired receptionist smiled widely at him 'How have you been, sir?'

'Wonderful!' he exclaimed cheerfully, which made Caroline's jaw drop… literally. She stood with her mouth hung opened like an idiot watching Klaus's friendly encounter with the receptionist 'And how have you been, Julia?' he asked returning her smile

'Very well, sir' Julia couldn't lose her grin and Caroline just had to scoff at the idiot who flirted with Klaus, blissfully unaware of how deadly he was.

'Would you like your usual Royal Suite?'

'No, Julia, not this time. I'd like to stay at the Prince of Wales Suite this time.' Caroline was dumbfounded, having no clue what they were talking about. Nonetheless, it seemed extravagant enough.

'Certainly, sir' Julia nodded, eyeing Caroline with a displeasured look. Caroline stared back folding her arms across her chest.

Julia was the first to give up and call for another handsomely dressed young man to show them to their suite. As they walked to the elevator Caroline took her time to enjoy the beauty of the hotel. Everything about it was grand and fancy, from the front door, to the uniforms of the workers; to the way those workers spoke with utter and complete respect to their guests.

But nothing prepared Caroline for the suite that Klaus had gotten for them. To say that she was impressed would be an understatement, more like enchanted, mesmerized. She paid no attention to Klaus as he thanked and tipped the young man for her eyes were taking in the beauty of the place. It wasn't a suite, more like an apartment. She could live there. She was standing in a hallway, to her right there was a small corridor which lead to gigantic dining room. The dining room was opened to a fancy living room which had a fireplace and two big couches facing each other. There was delicate woodwork everywhere. Everything was neat and carefully placed; almost every table had a vase of flowers on it, giving more life and light to the rooms. Caroline let her eyes and hands wander all over the place. She touched the smoothness of the comfortable chairs, the velvet fabric of the pillows, the dark-brown wooden dining table, the flowers and the unlit candles that were place on it. Everything was breathtaking. Klaus stood leaning against the frame of the door that connected the corridor to the dining room. He did not speak. He only gazed at her and her expressions with a smile of awe plastered across his face.

'This is beautiful' Caroline murmured to herself

'I knew you'd like it' Klaus said softly which made her snap out of her frenzy and alerted her of his presence. She couldn't help the huge grin when she turned back to him and his smile widened at her reaction. 'Come, let me show you your room' he gestured for her to follow him.

He led her back to the hallway. There was another small corridor which faced the first one. That one had two wooden doors facing each other and another one at the end of it. Klaus opened the door to their right and motioned for her to enter. Caroline found herself facing a vast bedroom with a king-sized bed, a fireplace, a huge built-in closet, and a flat-screen that would take up all of her living room back at Mystic Falls. She ran her hands through the violet and creamy-colored covers, enjoying the soothing touch of velvet under her palms.

'You also have your own bathroom' Klaus cleared his throat, motioning to a door that stood at the corner of the room.

The marble bathroom was the size of her bedroom back at Mystic Falls. _Correction: bigger_. The tub was as big as her bed in her old house and another wide-screen faced it. The scenery was very inviting that she just wanted to strip and sink into the tub.

She walked back into the room where Klaus was placing her bag. She had to bite her tongue to stop herself from thanking him.

_Thanking Klaus is not an option_, her brain scolded, _that's the least he could do after putting you through hell and back._

Still when his eyes met hers there was a silent 'thank you' in them which he answered with a firm nod.

'Make yourself comfortable' Klaus told her, heading for the door_, _he was about to leave when he turned around as if remembering something 'Do you need blood?'

'No, I'm good for now' she still had the blood she stole from that blood bank in LA. She passed them through airport security with a little help from compulsion. She hated that of course but extreme situations required extreme measures.

'Well, breakfast is being served now. Or you could order room service if you'd like. But the dining room downstairs is very nice' he informed her.

'It's sad to sit alone in the dining room' Caroline murmured

'You know you don't have to be alone' he whispered 'All you have to do is ask'

She pressed her lips as an answer and he proceeded to leave the room saying

'Get some rest we're starting our tour today'

'Where are we going?' she shouted after him

'You'll see' He said with a hint of smile in his voice.

* * *

Caroline yawned as she stared at the menu. After taking a quick shower and changing into comfortable clothes, she lounged on the bed lazily, sipping a blood bag and staring at the breakfast menu. She didn't really need the food and her body ached for an hour of good sleep.

She put the menu away when she yawned again. Finishing the blood bag, she laid on the bed, sinking under its velvet covers. She sighed with relief as her body went limp on the comfortable sheets. Soon though, an overwhelming feeling of loneliness rushed through her. The bed was meant for two. She felt so lonely sleeping there alone. Everything in this hotel and its suite was absolutely perfect, but it all felt so wrong. She was not supposed to be here with the person she hated the most, she was supposed to be here with Tyler. They were supposed to be laughing by now and ordering room service. She was supposed to be wrapped in his arms as they fell asleep with no thought of anything except each other. Instead she was alone in this giant room, which she did not need, tied by a deal with the cocky Original Hybrid who ruined their lives.

Caroline tried to stop the forming tears in her eyes, but couldn't. They streamed down her cheeks heavily, matching the rhythm of the rain outside.

_It was supposed to be Tyler. It was supposed to be Tyler._

Caroline cried until she thought she'd run out of tears.

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	7. Defying Acts

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**7: Defying acts  
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_Her feet dangle in the air. Her fingers tighten their grip around the rope. She can feel her tears threatening to emerge. Staring down to where she'd fall, she gulps down. The ground seems so far, too far, far to the point that Caroline cannot see it; only the clouds that are lazily moving below her feet are visible. When she stepped on the bridge, she knew it was not steady, still she thought it was her only option. _

_'It's OK, Caroline you can do this' The familiar voice tells her soothingly _

_'No I can't' she answers hoarsely, her eyes teary. _

_'Yes you can' The Voice encourages her 'All you have to do is pull yourself up and move on. You know you can' the words are firm and reassuring. _

_She takes deep breaths, in and out, once, twice, three times, until her distraught nerves are calm. Carefully and slowly, she puts her weight on the rope that is attached still to the bridge loosely, and starts climbing it. She does so steadily, calming with each passing second, until the rope gives away and the wooden bridge falls further, dangling her back to where she began from. A yelp escapes her mouth as she clings desperately to the rope. _

_'I need help' she whispers to The Voice, begging its owner to make an appearance and rescue her._

_'No you don't' The voice echoes 'You can do this on your own' it insists_

_'Please' she pleads_

_That exact moment a familiar-sounding swagger approaches her hearing. She knows the approaching figure. It is Klaus's, dressed wholly in white. He leans down next to the rope from which she is dangling, the familiar smirk ever-present as he stares down at her _

_'You seem in trouble, sweetheart' he tells her casually _

_She only manages a slight nod. _

_'Well, I can pull you up' he raises an eyebrow at her. _

_'Please, help me' she whispers _

_'No, you don't need __**his**__ help' The Voice urges her 'You can do this on your own' _

_'__**No I can't**__' she says through her gritted teeth, frustrated. _

_Klaus's smirk widens and he reaches his hand. _

_'Take my hand, Caroline' he says gently 'I will help you' _

_'You do __**not**__ want to take his hand, Caroline' The Voice warns _

_She closes her eyes, pondering her options. The fear, however, gets the best of her. It does not allow her to think straight, her hands ach from the tight grip she is keeping around the rope, her grip is slowly loosening. Klaus's help seems her best option… her only option. _

_'I won't let anything happen to you, Caroline' the way Klaus says her name is very alluring, very inviting. The look on his face is one of pure sincerity as if he is genuinely trying to help her. _

_Slowly, one of her hands unclutches the rope and takes his. She feels so unbalanced and her other hand quickly follows the first. Caroline's fear is more dominant than ever when she looks back at him. All sincerity, all gentleness is gone from his face. His angelic, white outfit is replaced with a dark one, matching the way he was dressed in the first dream. His devilish smirk is more deadly than ever. Tears pool in her eyes, playing at the corners, waiting for their chance to escape as she begs 'Please Klaus, I can't hold on much longer' _

_'Maybe I want your grip to loosen, love' he says frankly, causing her fear to reach its limits _

_'You shouldn't have taken his hand, Caroline' The Voice says with obvious frustration _

_'Your life is in my hands now, Sweet Caroline.' The way he says this implies how much he is enjoying the situation 'should I pull you up or shouldn't I?' he starts pondering his thoughts, a mocking thoughtful expression on his face_

_'Please Klaus' she helplessly says _

_'Maybe I should see to where your tolerance level reaches' he starts swinging her lightly, and she grips his hand tighter, knowing that her hold is not going to last much longer. He keeps swinging her, chuckling devilishly _

_'Give me one good reason why I should pull you up, love' he asks her amused by the look of pure fright in her eyes. _

_She cannot do anything but scream at the top of her lungs when he starts to unlock his fingers from hers_

* * *

'Caroline! Caroline! Wake up!'

There was a firm grip around her shoulders, pulling her up to a seating position on the bed. Caroline gasped for air, a hysterical sob shaking her whole body. Involuntarily she threw herself into the arms of whoever woke her up, and a strong pair of unfamiliar arms wrapped around her tightly.

'It's OK. It's OK. It was just a nightmare' a velvet voice whispered gently in her ears.

A few seconds of inhaling and exhaling deeply jerked Caroline back to reality.

She blurred away from the strong embrace and stood at the other end of the bed, holding whatever object that was on her nightstand. Klaus stood up quickly as well, raising his hand in surrender.

'I'm not here to hurt you, Caroline' he said slowly and started coming round the bed to her.

'Stop right there' she warned swinging the object in her hand over her head.

He stopped dead in his tracks, a terrified expression spreading over his features when he glanced at the object of her threat

'Caroline' he started slowly 'Please put that table lamp back in its place. It's a work of art that might be hundreds of years old' he implored

'What?' she frowned at him 'Seriously? That's what you are worried about' she raised it higher over her head 'Does it bother you that I might break this, or that I might break this on your head?' she raised an eyebrow at him, trying to suppress a laugh

'Would you please just put the thing down?' he huffed in frustration.

'No way in hell!' she smirked 'not unless you're fine with me breaking the table's leg' she added with a shrug

He sighed heavily, resting his hands on his sides.

'Move back' she demanded, and he complied backing away until the bed was between them

'Now, what are you doing here in my room?' she questioned

'I heard you scream. I wanted to check on you' he said frankly 'Now put the table lamp down'

'Right' she scoffed 'you're always so concerned about me. Poor you, I must be an exhausting 24/7 job' she said dramatically.

He closed his eyes, attempting to block the anger that was surfacing, however, failing.

'Believe it or not, Caroline, but I _did _hear you scream. And I _was _making sure you were alright. But obviously you do not like being taken care of' he thundered, his eyes blazing with fire 'I promise you next time I won't come to you even if there was a goddamn werewolf attacking you' he added, clenching his jaw

Caroline stood there stunned, stupefied. She had no clue how to reply or what to do as Klaus locked his glare with hers.

'I..' she faltered for a second 'I thought you were here to kill or hurt me' but her reply was not as strong or as confident as she hoped it would be. And it only added to his fury. He muttered something incomprehensive under his breath, something between the lines of how could he convince her he cared or why he even bothered whether she was convinced or not.

'Fine' she said finally, breaking his angry mumbles 'Whatever, you say' she placed the table lamp back where it belonged then crossed her arms on her chest, firmly

'Just so you know there's a reason why I always assume the worst when it comes to you' she blurted out. His expression remained unchanged, and Caroline being Caroline couldn't leave it at this 'We both know that you've lost your humanity long ago and that you're nothing but a monster. A sadistic, sick, psychotic monster that sacrificed my best friend and her aunt, and almost sacrificed me and my boyfriend, just so you can build an army of hybrids so you can sire them and, somehow, convinced yourself that they are truly loyal to you while the truth is that they would be dancing on your grave as soon as you die, had it not meant their own demise as well' she spat, emphasizing each and every word. and saying it in his face felt better than Caroline expected, she relieved. It came out poisonous, full of hatred that his expression turned from pure shock, to utter rage, to downright hurt, then to a combination of all. He dropped his gaze clenching his jaw as an attempt to block out everything. He could feel the fire of her glare piercing through him, and though he had experienced that look too many times now, this seemed to matter to him the most.

She pushed further, fully aware of the consequences 'You hate being called an abomination but let me tell you what, Mr. I'm Big Bad, that's _exactly _what you are. You may feel better by blaming your father and mother for turning you, but you and I both know that they weren't the ones who told you to become who you are. You _can _choose not be a monster, but you'd chosen it for power, thinking that it will fill this ever-increasing void in your heart. So yes, Klaus Mikealson, you are an abomination, because you chose to be one.' she lingered on her words, her voice calm, confident, steady. It was like there was this unexplainable rush of power urging her to stand up to Klaus whenever he was around.

His face momentarily wore a mask; hiding every ounce of emotions that throbbed through him that moment. He blurred to where she was standing but she didn't move an inch

'What makes you think that I won't tear you apart right now?' he spat, his voice deadly, perfectly matching his threatening features.

She closed the remaining distance between them, staring at him square in the eye, her face inches away from his '_Nothing_' she emphasized the word 'the real question is, why haven't you done that already?'

They stared at each other for what appeared to be an eternity, neither willing to give up.

'Don't test my patience, Caroline' he whispered, a hint of smirk playing at the corners of his lips 'You know I severely lack it'

'I never said I was testing the none-existent patience of yours' she snapped at him. And there it came the moment she knew would come. For a minute there, she was sure that these were the last breaths she'll ever take. His fists balled, ready to rip through her, his eyes roaming over her like a hunter's would roam over his prey.

Instead of ripping her heart out, though, he clenched his jaw, closed his eyes for a minute, and took a deep relaxing breath.

His devilish smirk returned to his face, a threatening look hovering still over his eyes, he told Caroline casually 'I wouldn't do that again, Miss Forbes. You and I both know that you are no opponent to me. I can kill you without even blinking. It is I who's choosing to spare your life. I very much advice you to not do anything that might change my mind, Miss Forbes'

Although terrified, Caroline still wore her blank defying expression, refusing to back down. He, however, stepped back, still wearing his cocky smirk.

'Get dressed, Caroline' he looked her up and down. Her short pajamas seemed to delight him tremendously 'I have promised you a tour, have I not?'

And with that he blurred out of the room, leaving only a whip of air on her face.

Her lips curved to a satisfied smile. Did she just make Klaus Mikealson, the big bad hybrid, falter?

* * *

The drive towards their destination was silent. It was around 11 AM when they left the hotel and the rain had finally stopped.

Klaus's face seemed blank and expressionless through the entire journey. The ever-present annoyingly playful hint that he usually kept whenever he was with her was long gone. And Caroline couldn't help but smile secretly to herself. Her conversation with him had clearly hit all of his right buttons, harshly.

This time he was driving their shiny, small black car and she made no attempt to guess their purposed location, unlike their drive from the airport to The Ritz. Frankly, she had no interest whatsoever in conversing with him. All excitement for the trip and its potential was replaced with a constant feeling of anxiety that she failed to shake off, no matter how much she tried. Whatever was left of her excitement after being forced to visit London with Klaus had vanished due to her dream. Yet again it felt so real, so vivid to the point that she could bet on her life that it was a message. In an odd way, it felt so surreal as well. The place that she was in, The Voice that haunted her which she had no luck finding out to whom it belonged, Klaus's attitude…. No, not that, Klaus's attitude was the most real thing about the dream. It was consistent with everything Klaus. But why hadn't he killed her already? If the dream was trying to tell her something, if there was a message behind it, then it had to do with something that was happening in her life now. It must be something about Klaus. Was it telling her that Klaus had a plan to kill her? Why would he need a plan to kill her? Like he said, he could kill her in a blink of an eye. And as far as she could tell, he didn't seem to have any intentions to end her life.

But did he? How could she be so sure? How could she know that he had no such plans? Wasn't it odd how he had insisted on her company? wasn't it bizarre that he went as far as postponing his vengeance plans to stalk her?

But had he postponed his plans? How could she know that she was not a part of them?

Caroline's breathing picked up. Even though her heart did not beat she could hear its drumming sound in her ears. Her face wore a frightened expression and she involuntarily gasped, staring at Klaus.

The dream suddenly made perfect sense to her. She had foolishly made a deal with him, put her life at stake; put her life in his hands. She agreed to _live _with Klaus for three weeks to say the least. She agreed to be in danger of getting her heart ripped out or having a stake driven through it on daily basis.

Only then did she realize the mess she had made. Klaus enjoyed nothing more than mind-games. By the end of this damned trip he would have driven her crazy to say the least. Of course, she had stood up against him that morning but Caroline had no idea for how long could she keep up the tantrum. She had no idea how fast she would break under pressure.

_What did I do? What should I do? What will I do?_

* * *

Regardless of Caroline's disquieting thoughts during their drive, she couldn't help but feel enthralled as the car pulled over. Klaus stopped in front of The British Museum, one of the places Caroline so desperately wanted to visit. She had searched, saw, read and heard plenty of fascinating things about it, but seeing it herself was a whole new experience. Caroline was startled by the mere view of its entrance. Dreams and all could wait, because, hell, she was in the frigging British Museum!

As Klaus lead her through the entrance, he appeared to know exactly what he was doing as if he knew the place by heart. Caroline's eyes wandered all around her, taking everything in. Her attitude, and Klaus's, immediately shifted. He was so absorbed in the history of everything and talked so passionately about it all. Every statue, every piece, every image held a million meanings and a million stories behind it. He told her details about each era that they visited anything that related to it. Details only those who lived in that era knew. And she listened intently as he elaborated about the way of life back then, absorbing everything between awed and impressed. She even fired questions at him and he answered them thoroughly and specifically.

Everything took Caroline's breath away; nonetheless, the structure of the Great Court was so magnificent that she stood for ten minutes gazing at its glory, taking it all in while Klaus stood beside her. He alternated his gaze between the Great Court and Caroline's expressions not knowing which sight pleasured him more.

He shifted uncomfortably in his place, the idea irritating him.

Caroline thought that he was bored of standing there waiting for her to snap out of her frenzy 'I'm ready to move' she cleared her throat

'You can take your time, Caroline' he smiled 'I had the same reaction the first time I saw it' his eyes sparkled as though remembering a pleasant memory. Caroline couldn't help but smile. No matter how much anyone denied it, Klaus still had humane traits in him, but they hardly took up moments before he quickly dismissed them. He had become a master at shutting his feelings off that he didn't seem to know how to feel anymore.

By the time their tour was finished in the museum it was dark outside and raining again. Caroline was ecstatic. She was laughing so hard at whatever Klaus joked about instead of snapping back at him. That, of course, put a huge grin on Klaus's face, much bigger than he would have liked it to be. And during their ride to the hotel they were both willing to admit that they had a good time together.

* * *

Caroline stepped back into her room to find a big box on her bed. She recognized the box. It was very much similar to the one Klaus had sent her before the Mikealson's ball. There was a red dress in it. The dress was much simpler than the one before. Its silky fabric reached her knees; it was sleeveless with a black belt around the waist. Simple and beautiful were the words for it. Still she was furious at him for buying her a dress after she had plainly rejected all gifts from him.

'What the hell is this?' she snapped at him as they stood in the doorway of his room (he was totally out of his shirt but she did not allow herself to look anywhere that was not his eyes, no matter how tempted she felt). In his defense, she was piercing his eardrums with all the mad banging at his door that he couldn't pull his shirt back on; neither did he want to, that is.

'A dress' he smiled innocently at her

'Didn't I make it very clear last time that I wanted no expensive gifts from you?' she scolded him

He rolled his eyes 'First of all, that's hardly expensive, love… _Caroline_' He corrected himself cutting off any war she was about to rage about that issue yet again 'Second of all, I figured you're going to need that for our dinner tonight. Your bag does not exactly give the impression that it has anything other than necessities'

'You're insulting my closet' she whined like a four years old child.

He could hardly suppress his laugh 'I'm most certainly not, Miss Forbes. I am just saying that you will need this at dinner. They do not permit jeans in that restaurant' he said quietly, moved away from the door and closed it behind him.

Right, their deal consisted of the condition that he could take her to dinner every night.

About that, what the hell was she going to do about this deal she got herself stuck in?

* * *

**Thanks for reading! See you next chapter :D Don't forget to tell me what you think :)) **

**Good night! *starts snoring* Don't judge me it's 3 o'clock in the morning in here!  
**


	8. Honestly

**Wohoo! This chapter is finally over. It took longer than I expected, and much more effort. So feedback would be great!  
**

**Happy Reading :D**

* * *

**8: Honestly**

'Hello' Elena answered her phone a pitch more cheerfully than Caroline expected.

'Hey Elena, thank God you picked up' Caroline's voice hinted that she was on the verge of panicking

'Hey, Care, what's up?' Elena asked between chuckles

'Caroline, you better be dying,' she heard Stefan say from not so much of a distance 'You're interrupting a very important conversation' he attempted to say seriously but chuckled when Elena chuckled

'Eww' Caroline grunted 'I didn't need to know that'

She heard them both laugh quietly before Elena returned her attention to Caroline 'Sorry about that, Care' but she didn't sound like it at all 'What's wrong? You seem a bit nervous'

'I'm spending my time with a psychotic serial killer, Elena. Of course I'd be nervous' Caroline rolled her eyes

'Sorry about that' Elena murmured, all joking vanished from the air 'Are you sure you're fine with him?' Elena asked cautiously

'So far,' Caroline murmured 'I'll tell you everything later, I've not time right now.' Caroline added quickly 'Look, he's taking me to dinner, because, you know, that's what the stupid deal says. Now the thing is he's taking me to this restaurant where they don't permit jeans as he claims, so he bought me this gorgeous red dress, which, by the way, I look stunning wearing it' she posed in front of the mirror to see it from all angles

'OK' Elena said a bit confused about the direction of the conversation

'The thing is I don't want him to think that I'm trying hard to look good for him. I don't want to give him the satisfaction of wearing the dress he gave me, you know what I mean?' Caroline blurted out quickly

'Then don't wear his dress' Elena said firmly

'But they don't permit jeans' Caroline stomped her foot on the floor as if Elena could see her

'Don't wear jeans, either?' Elena answered hesitantly

'It's all I have' Caroline sighed 'I didn't exactly have time to pack'

'Caroline, are you taking my permission to wear the dress Klaus bought you?' Elena interrogated, completely at loss of the purpose of the phone call

'No. I'm asking for advice! What should I do?'

She heard Elena's heavy sigh on the other end as silence took over

'Care, sweetie, you shouldn't be worrying about what you're wearing right now. You should be worrying about what kind of conversation he'll be engaging with you' Elena said slowly 'Look stunning, it will add more to his distress and win you more points. Wear the gorgeous dress, look beautiful, enjoy the expensive food and posh place but ignore Klaus' Elena added firmly

'Elena, sweetheart, I love you but I think you're getting slow. I'm not going to a dinner party with ten people where I can ignore Klaus. We are going _alone_. And image is _everything._' Saying it out loud made not only Caroline but also Elena panic

'And what do you want me to do, Care?' the latter huffed in frustration 'If it was up to me I would've shipped Stefan and Damon to drag you back from London by now, but you're too stubborn' Elena spat the last word

'You sound like my mother' Caroline whined

'Listen, Care, Klaus is many things but he's not stupid. If you looked nice it won't make him think you like him anymore' Elena reassured her

'Well, I don't know. He thinks too much of himself'

'Then keep crushing his spirit' Elena's frustration was obviously reaching its limits.

'OK' Caroline gave up.

'Care, you know that you can back down, right? It's never too late to come back here. If you feel that you can't do this, come back' Elena said desperately

'Elena, if I break my deal with Klaus right now, I will harm myself and everyone else along with me' said she softly

'OK' Elena sighed 'Just know that we can protect ourselves and protect you. You don't have to be bound by this. It's not worth it if it hurts you' Elena told her gently, and Caroline's chest tightened. There was an unnerving feeling still hovering around her, a feeling that there was a time bomb waiting to explode, waiting to explode and destroy her. Nevertheless, breaking a deal with Klaus was a whole lot worse than making one with him in the first place. Unless she was one hundred percent sure that no harm would come upon her friends or herself, she had to stay committed to her deal.

'I'll be fine' Caroline cleared her throat

'Make sure you call us every day, Care' Stefan's voice said, yet again closer to the phone than she thought he would be 'Be really careful. Don't fall for anything he says. He's manipulative, Caroline, don't allow him to get under your skin'

'I won't. Trust me' Caroline reassured him.

* * *

Caroline drew in a deep breath and stepped out of her room, looking far more confident than she felt. She found Klaus in the hallway. He turned at the sound of her steps. He wore a black suit matching his shirt. Caroline was not a stranger to the look he gave her. It was identical to the one he gave her at the Mikealson's ball before.

His gaze was of a truly enchanted man. All he could think about as she steadily approached him, the silky fabric of the dress fluttering, swaying lazily with her movement, the deep red color of the dress making a striking contrast with her white skin, her look completed with black high heels shoes, was how tormenting the scene was. Her posture was composed, well-footed, everything about the way she moved, the way she looked, the way she eyed him told him to keep his boundaries. And that was going to be harder than ever that evening.

He swallowed loudly, holding his breath as her sweet scent surrounded him now that she was standing close to him.

'You look stunning' he said hoarsely

Her instant reflexes were telling her to roll her eyes; instead she kept it formal, smiling and nodding ever so slightly.

His eyes couldn't help but wander as they stood in silence for a moment, studying the details of the way the dress clung to her body, showing all the right curves.

'Eyes up here, buddy' Caroline scolded him with an annoyed look.

Although embarrassed, he smirked at her mischievously forcing her to roll her eyes.

'I almost forgot' he said, the smirk still on his face. He held out his hands and only then did Caroline notice the small, velvet box he was holding. The dark-blue colored box was familiar to her.

'What's that?' she asked, puzzled

'It's the bracelet I gave you for your birthday' his voice was hesitant, his smirk gone, unsure of her reaction 'I kept it for you after you threw it in my face'

She tilted her head to the side 'That was me saying I don't want it. Obviously you're no artist at reading between the lines' she scoffed.

Klaus tried to keep a straight face 'Well you don't have to keep it. Consider it a way to complete your outfit' he added casually

'Sure, why not' she shrugged. Well, she was wearing the dress he gave her might as well "complete her outfit". Besides it was a really beautiful bracelet and as much as she hated to admit it, it was the most beautiful piece of jewelry she had ever owned.

She let him help her wear the bracelet. His fingers lingered on her wrist for a tad too long and she jerked her hand away, uncomfortable at once.

'Shall we?' he opened the door for her; a smile breaking its way to his face without reaching his eyes.

* * *

Their ride to the restaurant was brief, silent. A driver drove them in a black Cadillac this time and Caroline wondered how many cars Klaus actually had. Her gaze was directed to the city through their journey but she could feel his eyes fixated on her and tried hard not to show how uncomfortable she felt by it. Another thing that she attempted not to think about was how handsome he looked, which was not as an easy of a task as she thought it would be.

_Control yourself Caroline! Just because the exterior is pretty perfect that doesn't mean the interior is not rotten. _Sometimes, however, it was hard to remember that.

The car pulled over next to an entrance of a restaurant that screamed elegant and overpriced. She allowed Klaus to lead her to the reception where he informed the standing man that he had a reservation under the name Klaus Mikealson. The man nodded and asked them to wait politely.

'A reservation?' Caroline skeptically looked at him

'I knew you hated compulsion and thought why make you uncomfortable' he smiled innocently.

Well, if he was trying to impress her, this move gave him a great deal of points. Because Caroline started to think maybe she shouldn't be so snappy the whole evening.

_Mind games, Caroline. Remember what Stefan said? _The rational part of her brain scolded.

Nonetheless, Caroline was well aware of the fact that if Klaus continued his gentle behavior she would be nicer to him. Klaus gave her such a wonderful time that day (minus the name-calling and threatening in the morning) and maybe a quiet night wasn't so bad.

* * *

The first half hour of their evening was filled with awkward silence as they both stared at their menus. Well, Caroline was looking at her menu, Klaus was pretending to look at it while peeking at Caroline constantly. His behavior was increasingly out of control. He shut his eyes tightly. Inhaling and exhaling deeply, he enabled himself to somewhat return to his focused attitude.

The waitress took their order and darted off to the next table after filling their glasses with some red wine that Klaus had ordered from the special collection. The wine didn't help Caroline's decision of keeping her drinking to a minimum. It tasted so wonderful that she smiled at the first sip.

Klaus smiled noting her reaction 'This is one of the finest wines'

'Well, I'm no expert. But I know a good wine when I taste one' she said casually.

And with that the awkward silence filled the air again. They stared at everything and everywhere except each other which was increasingly frustrating to Klaus, and more than a little uncomfortable to Caroline.

'Tell me more about yourself' Klaus finally said, finding himself incapable of starting an actual conversation which was ridiculous, because he was Klaus frigging Mikealson.

'That's so general!' Caroline chuckled

'What do you mean general?' he asked, clearly amused.

'I wouldn't begin to know how to answer this question' she shook her head lightly

Klaus thought about that for a moment a slight frown appearing on his face, until it was replaced by a mischievous smile 'Let's play twenty questions'

Caroline choked on her wine when she heard his sentence

'You wanna play twenty questions' she raised her eyebrows at him.

'Why not? I can be more specific with my questions'

'Ten' she said after a short silence 'Ten questions'

'Caroline' he chuckled 'That's not a compromise'

'Of course it is. I'll tell you what, we'll start as ten questions and if I am comfortable enough we'll continue till twenty' she listed her conditions

'We both know you won't let me ask more than those ten questions' he tilted his head

'But you'll take what you can get because you're a smart man' this time she smirked 'and no questions about my friend; I'm not your little spy'

He rolled his eyes, although he was not truly irritated. That meant that he, too, wouldn't have to uncover many aspects about himself/

'I'm not interested in your friends, Caroline. Only in you' he locked his gaze with hers

She broke eye contact, feeling very self-conscious 'You go first' she sounded far braver than she felt. A wrong answer to a question could cost a lot.

He pondered his question for a moment then asked with a smile playing at the corners of his mouth 'Where would you have gone from LA if I hadn't showed up?'

'Spain' Caroline answered surely, releasing a breath she didn't know she was holding

'I knew it' he chuckled, muttering under his breath

'What do you mean you knew it?' she frowned at him

'You know if I answer that question, you lose a question' he teased

'Whatever' she rolled her eyes 'That's my question'

He said gently, his voice dripping with honey, his gaze intense. 'I knew you'd choose Spain because it's colorful, lively, and youthful, just like you, Sweet Caroline'

She held her cup of wine close to her lips and murmured nervously 'Next question'

Just then the waitress showed up with their appetizer which gave Caroline time to breathe. In the midst of her uneasiness she did not realize that Klaus had broken a rule of their deal.

'What movie always makes you cry?' he smiled at her widely

Her lips parted in surprise slightly.

'What makes you think I cry while watching movies?' Caroline's asked 'why does it matter anyway?'

'You can't answer a question with another. Your turn will come' he gestured for her to answer

She focused on the plate in front of her, pondering her answer for a second but really she was just stalling because it was so predictable. He looked attentively at her as she started to show interest in their appetizers, biting into her food.

'Caroline, it can't be that bad' he read her thoughts, holding back a chuckle.

She took a sip from her water this time. If she wanted to keep her promise of keeping her drinking to the minimum she had to stop taking out her nerves on the wine.

'Titanic' confessed she 'Titanic always makes me cry'

He frowned slightly 'Why?'

'My turn' she put up a hand, genuinely surprised by his reaction. Who doesn't know that every girl always cries watching Titanic? that every girl's heart breaks when Jack dies? 'When did you start drawing?' she asked after a moment of silence

He seemed slightly uncomfortable. This question itself was not much of a big deal, but the possibility of her digging deeper, to more personal questions made him slightly tense 'When I was ten years old' he said calmly

She was about to ask another question but he stopped her with a raised eyebrow. He, too, took sudden interest in the appetizers, hiding his uneasiness. Human memories were not something he particularly enjoyed recalling.

'Why does that Titanic movie always make you cry?' he asked simply

Caroline did not understand his insistence on this question, but that was far more comfortable than anything more personal

'Because of Jack's death. It's so romantic' she started tracing circles on the lip of her cup absently. Remembering that scene always made her sigh.

Klaus seemed at complete loss when she looked back at him.

'Oh my God' she shrieked, a bit too loud considering where they were 'you've never watched Titanic' she burst into a fit of laughter

'You caught me' he shook his head sadly 'I've never watched it. I wasn't interested enough'

'Even after the whole buzz' she said calming a bit

'Even after that' he nodded unable to stop himself from smiling hugely as he heard her beautiful laughter for the first time 'I seem to not agree with the choices of your generation, Caroline. I've already watched that Twilight movie, after much persuasion from Rebekah, of course she used the "you daggered me and I missed it" card to talk me into watching it, and it was terrible. Any thought I've had for watching Titanic was destroyed after that'

'No, no, no' Caroline shook her head as though his words were hurting her 'You're making a very, very wrong comparison here. Titanic is nothing like Twilight. It's not a teeny love story. It's an epic love story in tragic circumstances.' She said dreamily and he just found her so adorable that moment 'I can't believe you didn't watch it. I mean you were there when the ship sank; it must have made a lot of noise.' Then she added thoughtfully 'I'm even surprised you weren't on the ship.'

'I was supposed to be a passenger in its second journey with Rebekah, but as you certainly know that never happened' he shrugged.

'Is there a thing that you haven't done?' Caroline stared at him wide-eyed

'Is that your question?' he tilted his head to the side, smirking

'No' she said quickly cursing him inwardly for stealing a question from her already. He was not allowed to do that again 'What was the first thing you drew?'

He thought about that for a second before answering 'Our cottage'

'Do you still have the picture?' she imagined what a ten-years-old Klaus drawing would look like, and smiled slightly.

'My turn' he said raising a hand. She huffed in frustration, panting like a child 'What do you enjoy doing?' he asked then added teasing 'Other than shopping, of course'

She gave him a look 'That's not fair! I don't just shop!' she faked an annoyed face.

'That's what I'm asking' he raised an eyebrow at her curiously, focusing his attention.

She felt very self-conscious under his gaze, and fidgeted in her seat.

'I like singing' she cleared her throat

He took a moment to register that 'You sing?' he said, shaking his head

'Can you sound less surprised, at least?' she rolled her eyes, sighing

'My apologies, Miss Forbes, I just didn't expect that one' he chuckled 'I have to hear you sing sometime' he added determinately

'Yeah, sure' she scoffed, causing him to roll his eyes. They focused back on their appetizers as Caroline thought of the next question.

'I have a good one' she said enthusiastically 'which musical instruments do you play?' for some reason she took it for granted that he had learned to play at least one instrument.

'Piano and Violin' he answered without hesitation 'but I prefer the violin'

'You play the violin?' it was Caroline's turn to be surprised. She knew many people who played the piano, but never met someone who played the violin

'Can you sound less surprised, at least?' he quoted her faking a hurt look which made her laugh. He, too, laughed, because Caroline's laughter was so beautiful and shiny that it was infectious.

'What are you planning as a career?'

'I was thinking about broadcasting journalism before I was turned' her memories of her human life seemed more distant than ever. It was as though she had been turned ten years ago, while in fact it had barely been a year since Katherine smothered her with that pillow 'but giving the circumstances, I don't think that it will happen' she added sadly

'Of course it could happen' he frowned slightly puzzled by her statement.

'Right' she snorted 'Giving the fact that I'm a vampire, I'm not so sure I could have a career.'

His face turned serious as he put down his fork and rested his elbows on the table 'The beauty of being a vampire, Caroline, is that you can be whoever you want, wherever you want, whenever you want. You have countless opportunities, and endless time to explore them all' he explained slowly, emphasizing each word.

The waitress showed up then, picking up their barely touched appetizers and placing their main dish instead.

Caroline used this new found distraction to consider his words. He was right. As much as being a vampire was a curse, it was quite liberating.

'And I'm sure you'd be great in everything you do' he added when the waitress left, giving her a sweet dimpled smile which made her laugh nervously.

'Why do you like playing the violin more than the piano?' she asked quickly, changing the subject.

'Well,' he started thoughtfully 'I think I like its sound better. And it's more melancholic' his voice and eyes dropped at the last sentence. She understood. It expressed his feelings better, and just thinking about Klaus and his feelings not only felt all kinds of wrong, but also all kinds of weird. He took interest in his food, making an obvious effort to avoid her sympathetic eyes.

'How many times have you been in love?' he asked abruptly that Caroline gave a start. This was the kind of questions she was hoping he would not ask, the personal kind, the kind that would give him an insight to her heart. She took refuge in her wine glass taking a large gulp, her throat feeling dry.

'Twice' she answered, her mind flashing back to Matt and Tyler. Surely, she had loved Matt, yet she wasn't sure if she had been_ in love_ with him. Tyler was a whole other case, though, and the memory of his face hit her with a harsh stab of pain.

Her eyes were glued to her plate as she fired her next question 'How many times have you been in love?' she asked more sarcastically and far more snappy than intended, trying not to clench her jaw. Did he really have to bring it up? Did he really have to bring _him_ up? It seemed as if Klaus was intentionally reminding her of her forever lost love.

'Once' his answer was a barely audible whisper; it caused her eyes to snap back to his face in pure shock. She saw him fidgeting uncomfortably in his seat, dodging her eyes. Caroline expected everything except for this. Not even in her wildest stretches of imagination had she pictured Klaus in love. But thinking about it now, it made perfect sense. Klaus, after all, used to be a human, at least then he had fallen in love. She wanted to know more, what was her name, what happened to her, how they met, instead, however, she gave him some time to recover and waited patiently for her turn.

He seemed distracted for a minute, as he picked on his food which Caroline found extremely out of character. Klaus was always confident, always had something to say. However, her question seemed to conjure up a memory that he had not wanted to be aroused, that only added to Caroline's curiosity.

'What's your favorite color?' he bounced back to lighter subjects, locking his gaze with hers again. His reflexes were faster than hers for his face was holding a rather remote smile as he talked to her; hers took longer to wear an indifferent mask.

'It's a tie between blue and yellow' she said casually. Yet, Caroline was not interested in lighter subjects anymore. She only had four more questions and she was going to use them wisely 'Who was she? The woman you loved'

His face quickly turned serious again, a slight frown occupying his features for a minute before he started talking, his eyes glued to hers, his elbows resting on the table 'Her name was Tatia' he began slowly. There was that look in his eyes that she saw once before, the look of someone recalling a pleasant memory, a beautiful part of his life 'She was the Original doppelganger' he continued 'She was the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Her charm was drastically different from Katherine's and Elena's. She had her own beauty, the way she talked, the she walked. Her laughter was more beautiful than any music I have ever heard. Everything about her was enchanting; her beauty was breath-taking. Every man in the village was drawn to her, even though she had a child out of wedlock'

Caroline listened carefully to every word he uttered; absolutely shocked by the way he described that woman he seemed to have loved so much more than by the fact that she was the Original doppelganger. His eyes were distant, looking at Caroline, but seeing right through her which made Caroline feel a pang of unexplainable jealousy. She shifted in her seat, slightly disturbed by her own thoughts.

'You were truly in love with her' Caroline said softly, eager to hear the rest of the story but knowing that she had to wait.

He smiled nervously, snapping out of his frenzy and focusing back on his food.

'What's the one thing you've always dreamed of doing?' he cleared his throat.

'I've always wanted to sing in Broadway someday' Caroline answered calmly 'I probably will someday. After all when you're a vampire you can do anything you want' she added with a smile

'I'm sure you would do it. And you won't even need compulsion' he smirked. It was truly fascinating how he quickly resumed his normal status after an emotional encounter.

'You haven't even heard my voice when I'm singing yet!' she rolled her eyes, all those compliments adding to her distress.

'What can I do? I'm very supportive' he winked and she laughed lightly.

For a second, she considered asking him about what happened to Tatia or how had met her, but decided against it. Instead she teased 'You still have the first picture you've ever drawn? The one of your cottage?'

He seemed amused by the question 'Yes, I do still have it' he said between chuckles 'and no you can't see it' his face turned serious and firm jokingly

'Please?' she made a pleading face, and he just gave her a look.

'I'm not giving you an obvious chance to make fun of me, Caroline' he teased.

'Who said I wanna make fun of you?' she twisted her face to a playful appalled expression.

'Is that your next question?' he raised an eyebrow at her

'No, no!' she dismissed 'It's your turn'

The laughter quieted. Caroline waited for his next question as she stared at her plate absently, contemplating the idea whether she should get back to Tatia's story or not.

'Caroline' she turned back to him. His face was serious; wearing a worried expression as he hesitantly asked her 'Would you ever believe that my intentions are sincere?'

She gulped down. Not knowing what to say or how to act she snatched her wine glass and downed it to the last drop.

'I don't know' she whispered honestly 'Maybe' she added biting down on her lip.

A slight smile was his reply

'What happened to Tatia?' she blurted out then clasped her lips.

Caroline could swear that his eyes formed tears before he shunned his expression from her by staring down on his plate 'she died' he muttered, his voice barely audible that if it wasn't for her vampire hearing abilities, she wouldn't have heard him.

'I'm sorry' she whispered her own eyes forming tears. Yes Klaus was a horrible monster, but the pain of losing love was something that she could relate to easily. Nothing ached more than the idea of a lifetime without that person.

A moment of heavy silence passed as the waitress appeared to clear the table. Klaus ordered dessert after Caroline nodded in agreement when the waitress asked them if they were interested in one. Although the food was delicious, neither of them paid much attention to what they were having.

'This is your last question' she said casually when the waitress left 'Make it good'

'See? I told you, you wouldn't let me ask you ten more questions' he sighed dramatically, making an annoyed face

'Didn't you have enough of my ramblings already?' she shook her head lightly, picking up her glass of water.

'I could never have enough of talking to you, Sweet Caroline' he whispered gently. His eyes held that intense gaze again, lingering on every inch of her features.

'It's Caroline' she scolded him rolling her eyes at him instead of drooling over his comment.

'That's what I said' his expression was innocent

'Question' she shook her head in disbelief.

'Alright' he sighed. Something about his expression told Caroline that this question, like the one before, was not going to be an easy one 'Would you ever consider giving me a real chance?' he held her gaze hopefully

Pressing her lips tightly, she considered his reaction to her honest answer

'No' the answer was firm, brutally honest 'At least I don't think so' she added more softly looking everywhere except at the obvious disappointment in his eyes 'and you know why'

To that he just nodded, and ushered for her to ask her last question. Although desperately wanting to know how Tatia died, his expression after her last question concerning the issue, told her to do otherwise.

'Do you honestly think you're capable of falling in love again?' she asked haltingly.

His face was an unreadable mask as he answered

'I don't think so'

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Reviews make me happy :D **

**See you in next chapter :)  
**


	9. Sympathy For The Devil

**Hellooooooooooo! How's everyone? So I come with a new chapter!  
**

**First of all, I'd like to thank you for all the reviews about the last chapter, the ones who liked it and those who not-so-much. Always be honest with me, I'd like to know what you're thinking. However, some of you said that they thought Klaus was in love or had feelings towards Caroline, and I'd just like to say that it's WAY too early to say that. I'm taking this slowly, so be patient. Klaus's feelings and towards Caroline will be discussed the next chapter or the one after. As for the last question he answered let me just tell you that fancying Caroline is one thing and falling for her is a whole other thing. Others said that they thought he still loves Tatia, that, too, will be discussed. If you decide to stick around with me, you'll see.**

**Another comment that kind of made me panic was that an anonymous reviewer said that Caroline was cruel. Now I read the chapter for like five times after that because that was not my intention at all, still I couldn't find what they were referring to exactly. But I am the author so if any of you thought the same, please do tell me. But I'd like to say, that I was just trying to stay in character, and that Caroline can't just immediately love Klaus. **

**OK, enough with the rant! Happy reading! And reviews make me happy :D**

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**9: Sympathy for the Devil**

To say that Caroline was confused after her dinner with Klaus would be an understatement. To her, there was something in that evening which would forever change the way she looked at Klaus. Her mind constantly flashed back to their last few questions. These were as honest as they ever were to each other. Never mind, slightly too brutal of an honesty, they still made a breakthrough in their relationship. Perhaps the usage of the word "relationship" was not particularly accurate, however there was no other word that seemed to convey whatever they had going on between them.

Caroline was certain that the new found information Klaus had given her insight to would make her, if not like him for the tiniest bit, tolerate him more. Although that would be more than a little pleasant to Klaus, it gave Caroline a dilemma of which she did not know how to deal with. Klaus had won that evening and that terrified Caroline.

Not knowing what else to do, she paced the length of her room back and forth, as though this rapid movement would put her mind at ease. This hardly made any effect. Caroline wondered now, more than ever, what Klaus wanted from her. The dream was not yet forgotten, but carried on to make less and less sense. Thinking about it made her head ache so much to the point that she wanted to rip her hair out. Whatever the massage behind that Godforsaken dream was, it was not being considered as accurate as it was supposed to be.

_You might be wrong; you might be falling in his trap, _her mind occasionally pointed out enhancing her anxiety.

Pointing out was one thing, but holding on to the thought was a whole other thing. Klaus was a broken and a hurt man before being a vampire and monster.

_This is foolish, Caroline, and you know it, _her mind tried to reason again.

But, once more, seemed to fail for Caroline was starting to believe that Klaus may not be as bad as she thought he was. Damaged, surely, but not to the point of irreparability, not quite yet. And maybe, just maybe, she could help him in the most remote way to find a way back to his heart. It was heartbreakingly sad that he found himself incapable of love, but hardly a surprise. How could he give something he had not received? How could he give something that he was denied by the closest people, those who were supposed to unconditionally love him? Caroline truly believed that night, that she was gradually getting closer and closer to understand Klaus, which meant that he was progressively gaining her sympathy.

The direction of her thoughts frightened her more than anything.

* * *

'Hey Stefan' Caroline greeted him cheerfully and almost breathlessly through the phone of her room.

'Hey Care, how are you?' he, too, was in a good mood. And the reason must have everything to do with a certain Elena.

'I'm great' she smiled and Stefan frowned on the other end 'I just had a splendid time at the National Gallery, checking out paintings by Leonardo Da Vinci, and Vann Gough and all of these really cool people' Saying that, she couldn't help but smile wider. As a matter of fact, this visit to the gallery would have probably been a bore if it was not for a certain Original hybrid. As they wandered through the endless halls and rooms that showcased all the best paintings that were ever created, Klaus's excitement grew more and more evident. Towards the end of their tour he was practically dragging her through the corridors to see as much as they possibly could. He was so fond of the artistic work in every corner that his eyes glistened like Caroline had never seen them before. He had an opinion about every masterpiece, but stood humbly as though in the presence of divinity while talking about the painting. He spoke with such passion, with such love that Caroline did not know which was more absorbing, watching the paintings, or observing him talking about them.

For the second time in a row, Klaus had most certainly not failed to give Caroline an enjoyable time that she had never thought she could have in his presence. And as bizarre as it was, Caroline seemed to be less and less distressed with his presence

Of course, Stefan could not know anything about that. Because Caroline was too smart to be seduced by Klaus or fall in his trap, right? Because she, herself, refused to admit that she was somewhat getting used to his company.

She had called Stefan as soon as they were back from their journey to assure him that she was not dead just yet.

'Uh-OK' Stefan said slowly, almost not believing his ears. Caroline was apparently having a good time with _KLAUS_.

'What? Do I sound like a complete maniac? I know, I know it is SO wrong to call Da Vinci and Van Gough "cool people" but in my…' she started babbling as she took off her jack and threw it on the bed.

'Caroline, are you OK?' Stefan cut her off, worry apparent in his tone.

'Umm yeah' Caroline answered slowly 'Why? Is there something wrong?'

'I don't know. You tell me' Stefan's voice carried that brotherly authority again

'No, there's nothing wrong' she said quickly 'I just really had fun today. Did I tell you that yesterday he took me to the British Museum which is probably one of the greatest things I've ever seen? Stefan you have to come with Elena sometime..' she went back into babbling mood that was a trade mark of hers whenever she was cheery.

'Caroline are you off Vervain?' Stefan interrupted her again

'No, I'm not' Caroline huffed in frustration 'Why do you sound so suspicious and confused like a lost dog?'

'Isn't it obvious why?' Stefan asked sternly 'You're telling me that you're having fun with Klaus, Caroline, what else should I be thinking?'

'I'm having fun because of where he's taking me, not because I am with him' she sounded irritated, however, that was not the truth, neither could it be called a blunt lie. Everything seemed to be blurred and confusing to Caroline.

'And I'm supposed to believe that?' his tone carried a hint or irony which Caroline ignored

'Stefan I'm not an idiot. I know who Klaus is and I don't need to be reminded of that every five seconds' OK, maybe she did 'But it's the first time I've ever been to anywhere that's not Mystic Falls. So I'm sorry, Stefan, but there's no way I'm not going to savor every moment even if it was with Klaus who is, by the way, a very smooth talker'

'I see' Stefan answered quietly 'I truly see' and his tone suggested that he truly did.

'Stefan' Caroline scolded 'You have to believe me! I'm not happy about this whole Klaus thing' now that was truthful, not for the reasons that Stefan thought, but nonetheless. 'But I am loving London' then she added quietly 'I need this Stefan. After everything that happened last year, after being forced into becoming a vampire, after losing Tyler, I really need this breathing space, away from what happened. And Klaus may not be the best company in the world, but he's keeping his promise' her eyes formed tears as her voice gradually broke

Stefan sighed heavily 'I know. I'm sorry. It's just that I'll never forgive myself if Klaus hurts you in any way'

'Don't think like that, Stefan. You're not responsible for me. I made my decision. I can take care of myself' she said gently

'It's just that I worry about you, Care' the other whispered

'I know. And I love you for that, but you can't just blame everything on yourself'

A short moment of silence passed that Caroline quickly dismissed

'Where's Elena?' she asked quickly

'She's with Matt and Bonnie trying to get some "normal" time. They're working on some sort of a school project'

'That's good for her' Caroline muttered 'What happened, by the way, how did she turn?' The idea still felt surreal to her. Never had she imagined Elena as a vampire, maybe always caught in a feud between the Salvatore brothers till the day of her death, but never a vampire. And the idea was somehow depressing. The number of her human friends seemed to be shrinking by the second.

* * *

'What the hell is wrong with your sister?' Caroline stormed out of her room yelling at a confused Klaus who was standing in the doorway of his room

'Who? Rebekah?' he shook his head, frowning

'Yes _Rebekah._ Who else would it be?' She snapped

'What did she do now?' Klaus sighed heavily, stepping out of his room and coming closer to angry Caroline

'She tried to kill Elena!' Caroline spat through clenched jaw.

'Again?' Klaus raised an eyebrow 'Didn't she succeed once already?'

'No not again' Caroline scowled 'I'm talking about the Wickery Bridge incident'

Klaus stood still for a minute giving her time to calm down

'Did you know that Elena was turned because of that incident?' Caroline grimaced

'Yes I did' he nodded 'I thought that you knew, too'

'I didn't' she mumbled, her tone filled with sorrow.

Klaus swallowed loudly, uncertain of how to make her feel better. It was enchanting how joyful she was after their trip to the National Gallery. He could tell that she was more comfortable with his presence by the fact that she did not snap at him during the whole day. Something in their dinner the night before had changed her mind even if it was for the tiniest bit.

She casted her gaze downwards, allowing herself some time to relax

'I'm sorry' Klaus muttered and Caroline gave him an inquiring look 'That you couldn't be there for her while she went through her transition'

It stunned her how he apparently read everything that went through her mind like an opened book. It was not what had happened or who had done it that upset Caroline. It was her inability to support her friend that saddened her so much and made her ache for the familiarity of home.

Caroline gave Klaus a slim thankful smile which he returned.

A moment of silence passed before Caroline resumed her normal chatter

'Where are we going, by the way? Please tell me it's a place where they permit jeans' she asked feeling her stomach turn with hunger already. In her defense, they had been so energetic during the day she had barely had a breathing space.

'Actually..' Klaus started slowly 'I was hoping we could stay in and order room service' he said his eyes darting to the side as he added 'If you don't mind, of course'

'No, I don't mind' Caroline answered quickly, trying to hide her confusion which was not lost on Klaus

'Because..' he started answering her unspoken question 'I was hoping you could join me to watch this' he grinned at her raising his hand to reveal a DVD box he was holding. It took Caroline a minute before she recognized the cover.

'You didn't!' She couldn't hide her laugh and he chuckled in response 'I thought you weren't interested in watching Titanic'

His chuckle turned into a soft laughter as he uttered the words that made Caroline's heart melt 'That was before I knew that it was one of your favorite movies'

She bit her lower lip, her heart fluttering at his words

'You really have to stop with all those comments' she laughed nervously 'I thought you'd act solely as my guide' she teased

'I do my best' he said frankly 'But it's hard to stop myself when I'm in your presence, Sweet Caroline' he whispered gently, his voice heavy with his accent that seemed to mess with her so much, his burning gaze lingering on her face. And Caroline could feel her breathing pick up as he slowly closed the distance between them. He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, smiled wickedly at her, his finger brushing her check ever so slightly, and then preceded to the room at the very end of the corridor, leaving Caroline gulping down.

_What the hell just happened?_

* * *

The room to which Klaus headed was the drawing room where he had set his drawing tools. Caroline followed him and was not surprised when she found that this room was elegant and vast just as all the others in their hotel suite. Klaus was lighting fire in the fireplace when Caroline recovered from her momentary shock and stepped into the room. Her eyes darted from the wide screen on one end of the room with comfortable couches around it, to Klaus's canvas where everything was a mess around it. Paintbrushes and colors and sheets of parchments lay scattered around, and Caroline just had to smile at this very artistic scenery. Like any other artist, Klaus hardly paid any attention to order in his work.

'When do you have time to draw?' Caroline asked him casually, heading to where the mess of his work laid, but dared not to touch a thing for she might mess some order he was following.

'At night' he answered, rising from his crouching position beside the fireplace.

'When do you sleep?' she raised an eyebrow at him

'At night' he answered simply.

And she shook her head lightly 'You hardly get any sleep, I suppose'

'I sleep enough' he shrugged

They settled down on the big comfortable couch and Caroline made sure to put as much distance as possible between Klaus and herself. She tried to stay relaxed but her distress was not lost on Klaus

'Are you alright?' he inquired softly

'Call me crazy, but I never thought that I'd be watching Titanic with an Original before' she blurted out, her nerves apparent in her tone.

To that he just chuckled, settled comfortably in his place then hit play.

The movie, as always, managed to capture Carline's attention that she gradually relaxed and all edginess faded. She crossed her legs on the couch comfortably and watched Jack and Rose's epic love story for the billionth time, without bothering to glance at you-know-who. As tempting as it was to see his reactions, it was far better to forget about his presence. You know just in case the realization of how surreal the situation was would drive her insane. However, she could feel his eyes on her more than once, but ignored the urge to give him a quizzical glance over the dish of food she was holding.

By the end of the movie Caroline was trying hard not to cry, which she managed for two seconds before her tears started falling on her cheeks and her lips clasped tightly.

Klaus switched the TV off before Celine Dion finished singing which Caroline hated, yet did not comment on for her voice would surely break.

She turned her face away when Klaus turned to face her, whipping her tears quickly.

'Caroline,' he called her softly 'are you crying, love?'

She sniffled 'No' her voice shook despite herself.

He chuckled in response and she could feel him moving, coming closer to her. 'You're so adorable' Klaus said through his dimpled smile.

'Stop smiling it's not funny' she tried to stop herself from crying, still not facing him.

'Who said anything is funny, love?' Klaus chuckled again, barely suppressing his laughter. Caroline wanted to scold him for breaking their deal so bluntly but couldn't bring herself to be snappy just yet

'It's not fair that he died' Caroline complained like a child

Klaus was silent for a moment and when Caroline finally faced him with her tears-smeared face, she found his face calculating

'I actually thought that the ending was perfect for their story' he said at last.

'What do you know? You enjoy tragedies' she snapped, and he couldn't help but laugh at her romanticism 'Stop laughing! He died!' this time the watching experience felt far more personal. These were feelings she could easily relate to, and Jack's death refreshed the memory of Tyler's instantly in her mind.

'I'm serious' he calmed his laughter 'I truly thought the ending was very appropriate. He saved her, fulfilled his purpose and died before their relationship could get destroyed by all the factors that relationships get destroyed over. He only left the beautiful memory of his existence without any pain that might have gotten involved in their love' he explained simply.

Caroline turned to him fully, whipping her tears away. The distance between them had been shrunk by Klaus to the point that their knees touched.

'So you're saying that if he had lived, the relationship would have been inevitably destroyed?' Caroline raised an eyebrow at him

'Yes. One of them would have hurt or betrayed the other eventually and destroyed everything they had. At least this way, she'll always remember him as her savior and an "epic" love instead of someone who broke her heart' his tone was slightly sarcastic when he said "epic"

Caroline's brain wanted to mock the situation. If anyone had told her a week ago that she would be discussing Jack and Rose's relationship with Klaus, she would have called them crazy. In order not to lose her mind, however, she stopped her brain from its over-analysis.

'Who's to say that that would have happened?' Caroline frowned, not knowing exactly what to think of his theory

'Who's to say that it wouldn't have happened?' Klaus reasoned

'Nobody' Caroline shrugged

'Exactly' Klaus nodded.

'But you see, that's what relationships are all about' Caroline started calmly, her warm, dreamy gaze meeting his expressionless one 'It's like a leap of faith. You don't know what happens when you jump into one, but you jump, nonetheless.'

'Why?' he asked, puckering his brow

'Because, if you don't, you might miss something so wonderful and so beautiful and regret it for the rest of your life'

'What if you get hurt?' Caroline didn't miss the hint of bitterness in his voice

'You pick yourself up, move on, learn something from it, and hope for the best next time'

'It doesn't seem to worth the pain to me' Klaus confessed squinting

'So you would rather be alone than take a chance on someone who might love you back' she stated calmly, her eyes holding his. For a second there, his blue eyes showed a glimpse of sadness but he quickly concealed it with a smile of mockery

'It's foolish to be romantic, Caroline' Klaus unlocked her gaze from his, turning his head away

'I'd rather think I'm realistic' Caroline shrugged 'So I'd get that you didn't have much relationships in your life?' Caroline half asked half concluded quietly

'I wasn't talking about me.' he resumed his playful attitude 'Which is your favorite scene?' He changed the subject with a smile, returning his eyes to hers and Caroline noted that, despite his attempts to hide it, they still held a hint of sadness. The sadness in them made her own heart ache. And Caroline hated him for closing up whenever she tried to get an insight into his mind, even more she hated herself for caring so much.

She dismissed all thought from her mind as she answered with a smile on her face 'I love the scene when he takes her to the dock. Which one was yours?'

He scratched his chin playfully, faking a thoughtful face before answering with a smirk on his handsome face 'I liked the scene when he drew her'

'Such a guy' Caroline rolled her eyes.

'I liked the drawing' Klaus said innocently, clearly enjoying teasing her

'Of course you did' Caroline shook her head 'So I get that you liked the movie?'

'Yes I did like it' he nodded smiling

'Better than Twilight?' she grinned at him

He laughed softly 'Much, much better'

'You should laugh more often. It suits you' Caroline blurted out before she could stop herself. She bit her lower lip harshly.

His eyes widened in wonder, and his expression softened. Caroline could feel herself blushing and lowered her face at once, taking sudden interest in her hands where they lay on her lap.

A moment of silence passed until Klaus recovered from his pleasant surprise and playfully grinned

'I believe you just gave me a complement, Miss Forbes'

* * *

**Thanks for reading! See you in next chapter :D And your opinions matter :)) Be honest! **


	10. To What End?

**Hi everyone! I come with another chapter :D Thanks for all the feedback on the previous chapters! Keep it up guys! You all make my day, and motivate me. Yep you guys are that awesome :D **

**Now I gotta say I really like this one and I hope you guys will like it, too :D  
**

**Happy reading!**

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**10: To What End?**

Dreams occupied both ends of the suite that night, as Klaus's and Caroline's heads swarmed with images and voices of ghosts and people that haunted them. Klaus's nightmares did not differ from the usual hovering of Mikeal's and Esther's ghosts, along with whispered words from Rebekah about hating him and the floating figures of his coffined siblings tauntingly laughing at him, walking away from him, tormenting him. Things he had grown accustomed to for quite some time and no longer truly bothered him. Things that had become a part of his night that prevented him from sleeping, working like his very own alarm.; things that were the answer to Caroline's silent question when she had asked him when he slept, while, in fact, her eyes wondered why he got so little sleep.

Caroline's dreams were more of a fresh and immediate confusion that swelled up in her mind. This time, there was no bridge, or rope, or forest, there were only faces. Faces of those who loved her, shifting from one to another, from Stefan's to Tyler's to Bonnie's to Elena's and even Damon's. All of them were warning her, telling her not to trust Klaus, while her mind echoed Stefan's infamous words "He's big on mind-games" relentlessly. But it wasn't Stefan's voice that echoed them, or if it was she did not recognize it, for that agonizingly familiar Voice added up to her piling worries, confusion, and mess of thoughts. Occasionally, though, between every a few warning sentences and familiar faces, Klaus's face would pop out with a dimpled smile, or his deeply-accented voice would compete with the distant echo of The Voice, telling her that he fancied her, telling her that he wanted her company, whispering every tormenting complement Klaus had ever uttered to her, then his face would show with sparkling blue eyes, a playful grin that would turn to the laughter she loved hearing so much, much more than she would like to admit.

The annoying shifting of the faces finally settled to one face, the face of her dear, dear friend Stefan, mouthing one simple question that caused her to wake up with a start

"If his intentions are honest, then what does he want? To what end, Care?"

_What does he want?_

* * *

Caroline heard music faintly from her room as she brushed her hair and got dressed for the day. When she concentrated on the source of the grand music she realized that it came from the drawing-room, where Klaus, surely, was along with his paintbrush. Caroline's eyes lit up at that notion and she swiftly left her room and darted on towards the drawing-room. The music was no other than a symphony that Caroline had heard several times before, but was not truly interested in finding out to whom it belonged.

She tiptoed to the drawing room, smiling widely when she saw the door opened ajar. Slowly, hoping that he was too focused on his work that he wouldn't hear her, she peeked inside the room. Her eyes landed on Klaus's figure standing in front of a large sheet of paper that was smeared with several colors, dark colors that is. Caroline paid no real attention to what he was painting; her eyes fell on his face instead, taking in every expression that she could get from his profile. The look in his eyes was different from anything she had ever seen, ever so slightly it resembled the one she had seen in the National Gallery, but far more focused far more glittery. A faint frown was on his face and his lips pressed unconsciously as his hand gracefully brushed colors on the sheet of paper.

Caroline's breath was caught in her throat. She didn't want to move, she didn't want to breathe, she didn't want to make a sound, too afraid to shatter his extreme attention, too afraid to lose the chance of watching that very special moment as Klaus drew, unaware of anything or anyone else in the entire world. It was miraculous how everything about him shifted as he stood to make yet another masterpiece. It was like nothing she had ever witnessed, it was like something she would never witness anywhere else. Caroline was shocked to the core when she saw a single tear trailing down his face as he added more darkness to the already grim painting. It's only then that Caroline's attention shifted to the painting and the music. The combination of the melancholic melody and the darkness of Klaus's painting was breathtakingly heartbreaking. Caroline's eyes shifted between Klaus's pained expression and the painting tears pooling in her own eyes. She wondered what it was that went through his mind as he painted that darkness that was increasingly suffocating. Although curious, she far rather not knowing for it saddened her watching the scenery, let alone having knowledge in the gloomy thoughts that forced themselves into his troubled mind. She stared on as another tear trickled down his cheek, blissfully unaware of her presence. No matter how much she tried to stop her mind from racing, questions filled it despite her attempts, questions of what was he mourning, questions of what pained him, questions of what could possibly be the root of his pain, was it his long lost love? Was it his loneliness? Was it his broken relationship with his father? Was it the lack of love in his life? Was it the darkness that seemed to shadow him wherever he turned, the darkness that he, forced upon himself? Was it all of the above? Caroline felt the sudden urge to approach him, take his face in her hands and wipe his tears away, to try her best to console his pain, to ease his mind, to take away all his agony.

Foolishly, Caroline's hand pushed the door further making it creak. She lost her balance and tripped forward, ending up in the middle of the room with Klaus's surprised stare fixed on her. She took a moment to steady herself, swallowing loudly as he continued to stare at her, a little sharply now. Caroline bit her lip, lowering her gaze as for once, she couldn't seem to be able to break the silence. Her embarrassment was evident as Klaus continued to look at her wide-eyed

'You know it's rude to snoop, sweetheart' he finally said, a little too drily than intended. It was not the act itself that bothered him; it was her choice of timing that upset him.

'I'm sorry' Caroline mumbled.

Klaus turned away from her, putting the paintbrush back in its place and sighing profoundly.

'What can I do for you, Miss Forbes?' he asked, and Caroline didn't miss the stiffness of his posture nor the formal tone he deliberately used, plain of all the playfulness she was accustomed to when he addressed her as Miss Forbes.

Caroline cleared her throat, still avoiding his gaze 'I was just wondering when we are leaving'

'We're not leaving until one thirty, so you're free until then' he said simply, turning back to observe his work

Caroline glanced at her watch which told her it was ten o'clock in the morning 'Where are we going?' usually, Klaus would have them leaving the hotel by ten thirty maximum.

'You'll see' he said with a hint of smile in his voice, as he continued to add hints of color here and there on his painting.

Caroline released a breath she didn't know she was holding 'Can you at least give me a hint?' she asked, stepping closer to his painting.

Klaus turned to where she stood beside him now giving her a sweet, dimpled smile 'Something that involves tickets'

'Is it like a movie or a theatre?' she asked eagerly

'One hint is enough, Caroline' he raised an eyebrow at him.

She huffed and he chuckled in response.

* * *

'Where the hell are we?' Caroline asked an amused Klaus over the loud roar of the audience.

'What does it look like, love?' Klaus replied with a grin

'Don't call me that' she hissed nudging him in the shoulder. The movement was so normal, so spontaneous that she did not even bother to linger on it. Klaus, however, was staring at her turned head with an amused expression 'Seriously, why are we watching soccer?' she had to yell over the noise, meeting his eyes again

'It's football, Caroline, not soccer' Klaus mocked

'Whatever,' Caroline muttered 'but really why did you bring me here?'

'Because it's fun and it's the most popular sport in England, in fact in Europe, so you can't just come to England and not see a match' he told her failing to hide his laughter at her calculating expression 'Besides, you need a change after all those history lessons'

'OK' Caroline gave in at last 'but you'll have to explain it for me, I've got no clue what they will be doing' she said seriously.

'That's fine, _love_' he teased making her roll her eyes at him.

'That's Chelsea' he pointed to the team dressed in blue who just made an appearance 'And this is Liverpool' he said as the team dressed in red showed up

'And which one of those do you _fancy_?' she teased

'Both are good' he said between chuckles 'But I prefer Chelsea'

'Good, then I prefer Liverpool' she nodded solemnly

Klaus laughed 'Is it just to tease me, Miss Forbes?'

'You think too much of yourself' she sighed dramatically 'But if you must know, I'd like to strike up a conversation with him' she gestured towards a British stud, dressed in Liverpool's shirt

'Oh' was all Klaus said, smiling slightly less, then added with a grimace 'You fancy him?'

'Oh yes' Caroline teased, faking real interest, while in fact, she just wanted to see his reaction

'You can do better' Klaus added seriously, slightly frowning

'So you'd let me go talk to a guy?' she raised an eyebrow at him

'Well, we're not "dating" as you put it, love, so no harm in that' he shrugged

'And if he asked me out?' she pushed further

'Not to that point, Caroline' he said sarcastically 'But only to save you from an extremely dull evening. After all, having me every night ought to make any company far less pleasant' he wiggled his eyebrows playfully.

To that, Caroline just rolled her eyes.

Caroline was not very surprised that she had yet again spent a wonderful time with Klaus. True, she had no real knowledge of the game, yet the cheering and roaring of the audience excited her, and she ended up screaming at the top of her lungs along with everyone else, including Klaus who seemed furious that Fernando Torres did not manage to score a goal which made Caroline laugh at him guiltlessly. And Klaus laughed at her when Chelsea beat Liverpool while she stomped her feet on the floor with a sad grimace on her face.

For the sake of her sanity, Caroline did not want to think how weird it was to joke around with Klaus.

* * *

The hotel was not their destination once the game ended; instead Klaus parked the car near the Hyde Park. 'The weather is too splendid to be spent indoors' Klaus told Caroline with an ever-present smile since they left the game. Caroline, too, was in a joyous mood and nodded her agreement.

They roamed around the immense park as the sun set. The night was grand in its beauty; the clear sky wore a sparkling moonlit dress, embellished with countless twinkling stars. The weather cooled, but not to the point of discomfort and the couple walked silently, too contented with the perfection of the moment to disturb it. As crazy as it seemed, Caroline found that the presence of Klaus did not disrupt her thoughts. As they passed through the endless corridors, he kept his behavior as soothing as she had ever seen him neither playfully teasing her nor engaging in a serious conversation that might take an unlikable route nor flirting with her to the point of distressing her. So Caroline just let her thoughts swim, following the turns that Klaus took and silently observing his thoughtful profile every once in a while. Her head drunkenly transitioned from the question of her dream to the painting she had seen to the tear she had seen him shed, but pressed her lips tightly whenever tempted to break the peaceful silence. She forced her mind out of its musings and bounced back to more comforting thoughts that did not seem to hold on to her thinking long enough before being related to the man who was walking next to her. Caroline tried, to no avail, to stop thinking about him, nonetheless failed miserably. Her ever-increasing sympathy to the man was turning to something she dreaded more than anything, her feelings might be a tad more violent than she lead on or admitted. There was something very poetic about his damaged self, poetic to the point that it was very attractive, quite alluring, exceptionally inviting. That quality along with the way he always took special interest in Caroline and took extreme care of her made a dangerous mix that Caroline did not want to admit was already taking a piece of her mind. On the other hand, all thoughts appeared to be useless once her mind set back to the question that she so desperately wanted to ask

_To what end, Klaus? What do you really want out of this situation? _

Caroline tried to ignore it, but it still made a nagging appearance that she knew the night would not unfold itself before Caroline had gotten it out of her system.

There was a long row formed in front of a small cabin that Klaus dragged her to take a part in. she squinted at him quizzically

'We're having fish and chips for dinner, Caroline' he said with a smile dancing around the corners of his beautiful lips.

Caroline gulped down at her own thought, forcing it out.

It looked like Klaus was content with the silence for he did not break it as they received their order and sat down on a bench. He smiled widely at her reaction when she bit into her food.

'That's definitely the best thing I've ever tasted ever since our arrival' Caroline said, smiling as well. She was unable to stop herself from smiling at him for some ridiculous reason

'I know' he said smiling still.

'I didn't talk to that guy after all' Caroline sighed jokingly after a short moment of silence

Klaus rolled his eyes 'He was not worth it, trust me. You're far better with me, love' he smirked cockily.

'You think too much of yourself' Caroline scolded faking an annoyed face

'Why? You don't find me as an eligible bachelor?' he straightened his posture, a sweet smile breaking its way to his face, the same smile that Caroline adored so much.

'It doesn't matter what I think' although hating the inevitable change in the atmosphere, Caroline had to make her point 'I think you don't think yourself as an "eligible bachelor"'

Klaus's face dropped.

Caroline sighed 'What am I doing here?'

'I told you before…' Klaus started with an annoyed tone

'I know what you said.' she cut him off, adding quickly 'assuming that I do believe you, that your intentions are honest and all that, but what next? What do you really want from this trip? Sweep me off my feet then what? So what can happen? So we can be together? So we can what? Play house for a while? I don't get it, Klaus; you obviously don't believe in relationships nor want one to begin with. So what is it that I'm doing here?'

Klaus lowered his gaze. A moment of intense silence taking over as he pondered her words.

'I don't know' he murmured and Caroline sighed 'I don't know what I am looking for in this trip' he added calmly. His gaze returned to her face, a burning passion occupying his blue eyes that took Caroline's breath away. He slid closer to her on the bench that their knees brushed against each other and their faces were separated by mere inches. The proximity of their closeness made Caroline's breathing quicken under his firing eyes. When he spoke his voice was close to a whisper, gentle 'But what I do know, Sweet Caroline, is that for the first time in centuries someone has finally caught my attention, that for the first time in centuries, I feel something that is not hatred or bitterness. I do not claim to know how to deal with whatever it is that I am feeling, nor do I claim to have any idea what I want to make of it, but I do know that your presence makes me smile and laugh more than I have in the past ten years, and I do know that I am addicted to _your _smile, and that I would be a fool to let go of something as fascinating as you, or to ignore a feeling as joyous as what I feel'

Caroline's words were caught in her throat as she listened intently to his tormenting, sweet words, with a mixture of pure awe and utter shock. She couldn't say a thing, she did not want to say a thing for all words would ruin this moment as his burning gaze locked with hers. She fought with all her might not to look at his lips or lean into his touch, as he tenderly removed a strand of blonde hair away from her eyes. His fingers softly brushed her cheek as though she would break under his touch.

'I do not know what would happen after this trip or during it' he continued, his posture and the intensity of his gaze never changing 'but that is something that I would love to explore, Sweet Caroline'

* * *

**Thanks for reading! See you in next chapter, lovelies! BTW, it might take longer to update this time. I've got big events and stuff coming next week and I really need you to wish me luck, these are life changing stuff! **

**OK off I go! Thanks again :D  
**


	11. Gaurded

**New chapter! Thanks for the reviews, made me update faster! In a hurry gotta run!**

**Happy reading :D**

* * *

**11: Gaurded**

The following two days passed rather peacefully. Caroline did not venture into another intimate conversation, nor did Klaus try to bring it up again. The dinners she spent with him went smoothly pleasant, except for his usual complements that made her blush and gave her butterflies in her stomach despite herself. He did not take her to another grand restaurant; instead they went to an Indian cuisine and relived the fish and chips experience on her request.

'And how can I deny you anything, love?' he had said with an impossibly alluring smile. Despite the warmth that spread through her body from head to toe and the fluttering sensation that his words gave her, she managed to roll her eyes at him and scold him for breaking their deal repeatedly. However, the grin on her face was stubbornly present. Yet Klaus seemed unusually quiet and eyed Caroline with a rather strange expression of a conflicted person. Caroline wanted to ask him what it was that bothered him, but something told her that he would not be honest with her, or will simply manage to slip away from answering the question.

That look haunted Caroline in her dreams that night. It was like a broken record of an old movie, repeatedly showing itself in front of her to the point that she despised her bed that night. The Voice yet again echoed Stefan's word "big on mind-games" as the movie of their strange dinner rolled in front of her. When she lastly woke up with an unnerving feeling, the thought that she might be starting to trust Klaus a bit too much threw her off track, and gave her something to ponder the whole day.

Nevertheless, Klaus's plans managed to distract her away from her thoughts. He took her on a cruise in the Thames River. The view, as expected, was absolutely breathtaking. Caroline did not want it to be over, as they silently observed their surroundings. Klaus looked peaceful that day. He glanced at Caroline frequently, far more mesmerized with her beauty than the beauty of the city before them. That made her squirm uncomfortably as she tried not to be distracted by his burning gaze.

Their dinner was on a restaurant that overlooked the Thames River. The view was marvelous to the point that Caroline wanted to hug Klaus, but managed to settle for a huge grin instead.

Conversing with Klaus during dinner seemed to get increasingly easier, a thought that Caroline shook off whenever it popped to her mind. Between his flirtatious remarks and her nervous discomfort with them, they danced around light subjects that were most likely not turned into a serious conversation.

It was when the subject of music came up that the inevitable happened

'I have to hear you play the violin sometime' Caroline said casually with a smile.

'Impossible' he simply said 'Unless you sing for me'

'Right' she scoffed and he just shook his head lightly. Then Caroline's eyes lit up mischievously.

'What?' Klaus faked a dreaded face at her mischief.

'I'll tell you what, if you play the violin for me, I'll sing for you' she grinned.

'That's not fair' he huffed 'You can't use that card like that, it's just mean' he deliberately complained like a three years old child making Caroline laugh.

'Come on! It's a good offer' she said between chuckles.

'Well,' he started thoughtfully 'I haven't played it for quite some time, now' he muttered to himself mostly.

'Why?' Caroline blurted out before she could stop herself.

Klaus simply smiled and shrugged his shoulder.

'Does it have anything to do with Tatia?' she squinted at him.

He raised an eyebrow at her but answered her anyway 'No. my story with Tatia was long before I learned how to play the violin'

'Really?' Caroline pressed on 'How long had it been since she died?'

Klaus fidgeted in his seat, slightly on edge by the awakening of this subject again. He did not answer instead busied himself with eating.

Caroline sighed, muttering 'Sorry, it's none of my business'

Klaus did not say anything again but continued to eat his food silently. Caroline surrendered to the uncomfortable silence trying to give him some space.

But that only lasted for two minutes before she blurted out, far more sharply than intended 'Just so you know, Klaus, if you ever do decide to do something about what you _claim _you feel then you'll have to open up. You'll have to let me in and allow me to find out who you really are, because if I don't know you then there's no use at all for what you are trying to do' For some absurd reason, his constant refusal to open up to her upset her more than she expected it would 'I'm not saying that you have to tell me about this Tatia thing right now, but you can't just bail by giving me the silent treatment whenever I ask something you don't want to answer'

Klaus stared at her with a mixture of confusion, fascination and a hint of anger 'I do not intend to do anything about what I _claim _to feel' he spat 'Neither do you, Caroline, so you can stop pretending that you give a damn about who I am or what lays behind my face. We are having an enjoyable time in London for two more weeks and then we can go our separate ways' his hand clutched his fork so tightly to the point that his knuckles turned white. He was trying hard not to clench his jaw, but to some extent failed.

'See that's what I'm talking about' Caroline protested 'That's the reason I don't take what you said seriously, Klaus! You _bail_, that's what you do. Whenever things get too hard or too personal, you leave slamming the door shut so tightly, closing the windows, turning off the lights and surrounding yourself with darkness and loneliness'

Klaus blinked, clenching his jaw, his voice menacing 'That's better than leaving my door wide-opened and getting hurt continuously'

'There we go with this again.' Caroline sighed 'Why would you just assume that everyone will hurt you?' she argued urgently 'Why would you assume that no one will love you enough to stay with you? Why would you assume that no one will ever stay by your side willingly? What makes you think that no one can ever love you when you never even gave a chance for anyone to get to know the real you, to see your heart?'

'I have no heart' Klaus cut her off through gritted teeth. From the rigid posture his body took Caroline realized that she was pushing his boundaries and that she was so close into driving him off the edge, but she couldn't back down

'That's ridiculous and we both know it. I saw you painting the other day, and if that man I saw in that room doesn't have a heart then I don't know who does. And if you didn't have a heart, then there's no way you can feel anything for me.'

'Who is to say I do?' Klaus tried to stop her but she hardly processed his comment.

'You claim that no one will ever love you but you never gave a chance for anyone to do so. Why? Why would you do that, Klaus?'

'Because that's what everyone has ever done' he roared, banging his hand on the table, his face a mixture of fury and pain.

Caroline gasped, feeling everyone around the dining room stare at them. She watched as Klaus's chest heaved up and down out of anger. He threw the napkin that lay on his lap angrily at the table and rose quickly.

'We're leaving' he told Caroline harshly.

'Klaus..' Caroline started slowly.

'_We are leaving_' his voice was a warning and she silently complied, following his tracks.

* * *

Klaus stepped into the hotel lobby with his swagger far faster-paced than usual, and Caroline dared not to walk beside him instead she kept some distance between them. He had not spoken a word during their drive back to the hotel while Caroline couldn't possibly bring herself to break the awkward silence that filled the air. It was exceedingly frustrating that he refused to even look at her. Klaus, more than anything hated all talk about his personal life, or his feelings. It was obvious that he did not trust anyone when it came to that and felt far too vulnerable and exposed, that feeling did not suit him. He needed to always feel in-control, to always be invincible. He does that to convince everyone, including himself, that he's strong, while in fact, it's the opposite of strength. This defense mechanism he used only brought sadness and desperation and loneliness for him. It might protect his heart from getting broken again, but it will not fill the void that he so desperately needed to be filled. Caroline wanted to tell him all of this but knew she couldn't. She and Klaus both knew that technically they were still on opposite sides. Klaus couldn't trust those who were in his side with his heart, let alone those who opposed him. In a weird way, though, Caroline found it extremely contradicting how he admitted feeling something towards her, while refusing all conversation about his feelings.

Caroline sighed as she stared at the back of his head, wishing she could just take a peek inside that troubled mind.

_Why do you even care, Caroline? He's not your charity case! In two weeks or so you'll be rid of him… forever, hopefully._

But the thought of getting rid of Klaus did not sound as appealing as it did five days ago.

The receptionist, Julia, chose the worst time to address Klaus cheerfully

'Mr. Mikealson' she beamed, as though she was blind to his rage.

Klaus just gave her a cold look that made her change her tone into a practical one momentarily 'There's someone who has been waiting for you' Julia said quickly.

Caroline frowned at that, who could it possibly be?

'Who's that someone?' Klaus asked, far less drily than Caroline expected.

'She said she was your sister' Julia breathed out, relief apparent in her voice once noting his calmness.

Caroline's jaw dropped. Rebekah was there? Why would she possibly be there? Klaus glanced at her questioning expression the first time since their harsh encounter. He shook his head gesturing to the fact that it was not planned then quickly turned back to Julia

'Where's she?' Caroline immediately noted how his features softened and his tone became eager.

'She was waiting in the lobby, sir. Perhaps she got bored, though, and went to the bar'

'Thank you' Klaus quickly told her and strode on to where Caroline assumed would be the bar.

She followed him despite her rising frustration at the knowledge that _Rebekah _was there. Caroline did not stand the blonde Original the least bit and it was more than obvious that the feeling was mutual for Rebekah, like Caroline, made no effort at all to hide her resentment for her.

'Nik!' the braided, slightly drunk, blonde shouted at her brother as soon as they set foot in the bar that was connected to the dining room. Only then did Caroline note that they hadn't had a single meal there, and added to her mental list a request of dining in their restaurant before her trip was over.

Caroline watched with much fascination as Rebekah ran to her brother ignoring all the glares that headed towards her from everyone and flung herself into his arms. Automatically, Klaus wrapped his arms around his sister, pulling her into what seemed to be a much needed hug. Caroline saw Klaus's expression turning into an anxious one as his sister started sobbing. The latter clung to him like a child and he instinctively tightened his grip around her.

'Let's go upstairs' Caroline muttered, feeling the curious gazes around them. The Originals truly knew how to make a scene wherever they went.

It was only then that Rebekah reluctantly broke the hug, giving Caroline a dreadful glare acknowledging her existence

'Oh it's you' Rebekah spat.

'It's really nice to see you, Rebekah' Caroline crossed her arms on her chest, smiling at the blonde Original 'You look like hell' and that was not a lie. Rebekah looked drunk and devastated for some reason. Her clothes were a crumbling mess and her hair was out of order, a state Caroline had never seen her in before.

'None of this now' Klaus cut off any possible cat fight 'We need to talk' he said more softly addressing his sister.

* * *

'What brings you here, Rebekah?' Klaus asked as soon as they stepped into the suite.

'I came to see you' his sister answered calmly, but Caroline could tell that she was on the verge of tears.

'I'm just gonna go call Elena' Caroline said quickly and excused herself. It was definitely not a priority of hers to witness what seemed to be a family business. She quickly darted off to her room closing the door behind her. Of course, if she had wanted, she could have easily eavesdropped on them, but thought better of it. Whatever was happening, she had no interest in finding out. Unless it concerned her and her friends, that is.

Frowning slightly Caroline focused on the mumbles outside. They were whispering and she could barely make out about what, however, she could hear Rebekah sobbing, so she gave up and picked up the phone dialing Elena's number.

During the past two days Caroline had miraculously succeeded in worrying Stefan and Elena in every possible way. The couple could tell that she was being dragged into what they considered to be Klaus's trap. And despite her various attempts to rule out such suspicions, she had miserably failed, for even through the phone Caroline was a terrible liar.

It was the way she excitedly talked about where he took her, and how he treated her, it was the way she talked about how he draws with so much passion that made Elena frown and inwardly gasp and curse. Caroline couldn't stop talking about everything they did together and both Stefan and Elena had dropped hints along the way to Caroline that she might be trusting Klaus a bit too much, which Caroline always refused to believe, and constantly told her how much they were worried about her. Caroline dismissed all thoughts of danger, although she, too, had her own doubts and nightmares that still occurred almost every night.

'Hello' Elena answered on the first ring.

'Hey Elena' Caroline greeted without the usual cheeriness in her voice.

'Hey, Care, what's up?' Caroline could easily tell that something was up with Elena.

'Nothing much' Caroline shrugged 'Except that dear Rebekah is here' she added sighing.

'Rebekah?!' Elena almost gasped

'Yep, there's obviously something wrong with her and she just ran to Klaus for help or something. I could hear her crying, sounds bad'

'Caroline' Elena's voice was urgent 'Do you realize that you are now sitting with _two Originals _behind your door?'

'Oh relax Elena' Caroline rolled her eyes 'If Klaus doesn't want to kill me then Rebekah won't do any harm'

'And how do you know that Klaus doesn't want to kill you?' Elena questioned annoyance evident in her tone.

'Because, I just know, that doesn't seem to be the plan. And I've already told you, he's been so nice ever since we started this trip' Caroline huffed, that's how every conversation went, Elena (Or Stefan) accusing Klaus and Caroline trying her best to console their worries whilst, in fact, she unintentionally added up to them.

'Caroline, do you have a thing for him?' Elena's voice was accusing.

'What?! Ewww NO!' Caroline groaned, but did she? 'How can you even say that?' she hissed through the phone.

'How can I not say that, Care?' the other hissed as well 'All you talk about is how nice he is to you and how thrilled you are about all of this travelling plans. I can hardly think otherwise. And it's not an accusation to you, Care. We are just worried that Klaus has some scheme and he is using you'

'Elena, I'm not stupid' Caroline's voice was a pitch higher than normal.

'I'm not saying that you are, Care' Elena said gently 'I'm saying that Klaus is too smart, and that you are too good, he might use that'

'Don't worry I'm being careful' Caroline nodded firmly as though Elena could see her.

'Well, just to be extra careful,' Elena started casually then added whispering quickly 'Stefan is coming to visit you, he'll arrive at twelve P.M tomorrow, see him at the airport'

'_WHAT?_' Caroline yelled then clasped her hand over her mouth 'No he's not, it's too dangerous' she whispered to Elena, too afraid to elaborate that Klaus might hear her.

'He's only staying for a few hours to make sure you're OK' but Elena was hoping that he'd drag her back with him 'I'm sure you can get away from Klaus for a couple of hours, especially since he has Rebekah there now'

'How convenient' Caroline whispered through clenched jaw 'Tell him not to bother'

'No way in hell, Care' Elena was still whispering 'He's coming over to see you'

And with that, Elena hung up, leaving Caroline hardly containing herself from shouting at the phone.

* * *

It was around eleven P.M when Caroline finally decided to step out of her room. The humming sound had settled by then, and for some reason Caroline felt the urge to check on what was happening. Or she just wanted to check on Klaus, actually.

_What?! NO! I just want to make sure that my friends and I have nothing to do with what's happened. _

Caroline opened the door a crack and peeked through it to see Klaus stepping out of the drawing-room carrying a sleeping Rebekah in his arms. His face was anxious as he walked to his own room. Gently, he rested Rebekah on his bed, delicately removing the strands of her blonde hair away from her face. From her invisible position Caroline watched the heart-warming scene, feeling a sudden urge to run and hug Klaus for the billionth time this day.

_Control yourself, Goddammit! _

It was when Klaus left his room, closing the door behind him that Caroline stepped out of her own room.

Klaus gave her an inquiring look.

'Is everything OK?' Caroline asked him hesitantly, breaking the heavy silence that seemed to surround them ever since their encounter in the restaurant.

'Yeah' He cleared his throat 'Just some family problems'

Caroline smiled 'I can see that she leans on you when she has troubles'

Klaus gave a slim smile to that.

'I really thought you were going to get another room for her' Caroline said, deliberately referring to the kind gesture.

'She didn't want to be alone tonight' Klaus muttered. He turned towards the drawing room, ending the conversation.

'Klaus' Caroline stopped him, he faced her again, his face slightly impatient 'About our conversation earlier…'

'Let's not, Caroline' he cut her off quickly 'It's been a long evening and I would really like to get some rest'

Caroline nodded, giving him a slight smile. She opened the door to her room before stopping and turning back to him, he was still standing, watching her movements with a blank expression on his face.

'You're better than you lead on, Niklaus' Caroline said calmly, before entering her room and closing the door behind her softly, leaving a very much surprised Klaus behind her, who stood still in his place for several moments. Once recovered from the shock he headed to the drawing-room shaking his head in confusion.

_But I am not, Caroline. I am not._

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Bye! Wish me luck! Big day tomorrow, so I gotta crash :D Wish me luck! **

**Bye! Please review!**


	12. Intrusion

**Hello! I come with a new chapter :D Thank you for the wonderful support on the last chapter! Keep it up please :D I really need it in this one!**

**Also I've started a new AU Klaroline fic, I've only uploaded the prologue so far but the first chapter is well on its way within tomorrow or the day after :D So if you are interested, check it out :))  
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**Off I go with my rambles! Happy reading :))**

* * *

**12: Intrusion**

The next morning was so quiet that Caroline walked around on toe-tips, afraid to disturb the reason behind the silence. She finally built-up the courage and headed towards the drawing room to see Klaus, where the door was opened ajar which seemed to be a habit of Klaus's. If asked why she had mouthed the last a few words the night before, she would answer "I don't know, because I'm an idiot" but at that exact moment, Caroline genuinely meant it, even that morning she hardly regretted it. That heart-warming moment between him and his sister pushed Caroline to say what she had wanted to tell him for nights now. For some reason, Caroline felt that he needed it. For some reason, she thought he deserved it, he deserved for someone to finally recognize that he hid behind so many masks. Even if for a tiny bit, he needed to know that she saw behind those masks.

Caroline had no hopes, none at all; or that was what she wanted to believe. Klaus was still the enemy. Klaus, even if better than she thought he would be, was not the kind of man she could get involved with. It wasn't for what he had done, for the past could be forgotten, as much as it was for what he could do, or how dealt with everything. Getting involved with Klaus was far more dangerous than a mere leap of faith. Although the latter had its own dangers, Klaus was a whole new level of danger; Caroline couldn't, or rather shouldn't, let herself like him for the tiniest bit, she mustn't let his attractive allure get under her skin, otherwise the price would be expensive… far more expensive than she could possibly afford.

Shaking off her ideas, Caroline knocked softly, deciding against sneaking this time.

'Come in, Caroline' Klaus said calmly.

'Good morning' Caroline greeted quietly upon entering

'Good morning to you, love' Klaus said absently. His eyes were still fixated on the dark painting she had seen him draw a few days back. Caroline wanted to contemplate its gloominess from a closer distance, but repeatedly decided against it. There were constant changes in it, small things that probably took him hours to add, would appear, but they all made it darker. As Caroline saw it, he insisted against making space for any brightness to invade it.

_This is so much like your own heart and mind, Klaus._

'What can I do for you, sweetheart?' Klaus broke the silence, still not facing her, but his painting.

Caroline decided against complaining about pet names that day, after all she had bigger issues to worry about, things like: how the hell was she going to get away from Klaus for a couple of hours to see Stefan frigging Salvatore, who doesn't trust her enough to deal with this on her own?

'I was just wondering what were our plans today' Caroline cleared her throat 'Or if we still have any to begin with' she shifted her weight uncomfortably from one foot to another 'Because I was kind of hoping I could go shopping' she added hesitantly.

Klaus didn't say a word; he just extracted a card from his jeans pocket and gave it to Caroline.

Caroline looked at the card in her hand and back at Klaus, confusion all over her face, but he was already back to his painting.

'Ummm' she started slowly 'What's this?'

'What does it look like, Caroline? It's my credit card' Klaus said simply, adding more black to the painting that caused Caroline to wince.

'Uh-OK' Caroline mouthed 'You're letting me go alone?'

'Yes' Klaus replied, finally turning to her. His face carried a blank, slightly dry expression that made Caroline want to slap him. Caroline hated, far more than she admitted, the formal attitude he kept towards her ever since the night before at the restaurant. She wanted to yell at him or just talk him out of his behavior, yet decided to wait until Rebekah wasn't around and Stefan wasn't about to arrive 'You have the whole day for yourself. For all I care you can get back at night, love. And you're a smart woman, Caroline; you won't go anywhere and break our deal. You know better than that' he smirked his threatening smirk, which he rarely ever used with her. Usually it would be the mischievous and cocky smirk that he would give her whenever she was around, to make her laugh or roll her eyes. This one, made her gulp down.

'Of course I wouldn't' she whispered almost inaudibly 'I don't want to' she muttered slightly higher, directing her eyes to the floor. She wanted to slap herself as soon as the words left her mouth.

'Lying isn't required in our deal, love' he chuckled sarcastically.

Her eyes were blazing with anger when she glared back at him, something that shocked him, but being Klaus, he kept his sarcastic mask well-concealing 'Believe whatever you want, Klaus' was all she said through her clenched jaw. Slamming the door shut fiercely, she left the room with Klaus's sarcastic expression still on his face.

_Does she take me for a fool? _He scoffed.

_Maybe you are a fool, Klaus._

* * *

Caroline was still faintly upset about her encounter with Klaus as she waited for Stefan's arrival in the airport. She fidgeted, huffed, and stomped her foot on the floor repeatedly until her friend appeared. Seeing him, with a small smile on his face and a small bag that could've been nothing but a laptop made her realize how much she had missed him. There was a huge smile spread across her face as she threw her arms around Stefan's neck. She felt tears pooling in her eyes as he hugged her back, chuckling slightly, because he smelt of home and safety and good old days. Because he reminded her of everyone and everything she had ever loved. Because he was her friend and she missed him. Even though Caroline had a different plan about how her first encounter with him would be (her original plans included much more glaring, scoffing and scolding) she couldn't bring herself to give him a hard time just yet.

'How are you, Care?' Stefan said warmly as she finally let him go.

'Good! Really good' Caroline tried to say cheerfully, but didn't sound convincing even to herself.

'What's wrong?' Stefan immediately frowned.

'Nothing big, just Klaus being Klaus' she sighed.

'Did he hurt you? Did he threaten you? Did he try to force you into anything? Did he force you into anything?' Stefan's voice was more than ready to panic.

'No!' Caroline stopped him before his thoughts would run any wilder 'We just had a little spat' Caroline shrugged.

'A little spat?' Stefan raised an eyebrow at her.

Caroline simply nodded, as if having a little "spat" with Klaus was the most normal thing in the world.

'A little spat with Klaus?' Stefan repeated, raising his eyebrows at Caroline with pure shock.

'Yes, Stefan' Caroline rolled her eyes 'We were arguing about why he doesn't want to open up and tell me about this whole Tatia thing and now he's giving me the silent treatment' she complained.

'Caroline' Stefan said sternly 'Do you even realize what you are saying now?'

'Oh, don't go all big brother on me now!' Caroline huffed 'It was a little argument and that's it'

Stefan shook his head lightly. He gripped her shoulders, making her face him, and stared intently into her eyes.

She blinked 'What are you doing?'

'I am checking for signs of compulsion' Stefan said quickly.

'Signs of compulsion? You look like you're checking if I have brain cancer' Caroline said sarcastically, shrugging away from his grip.

Stefan sighed and stepped back.

'Don't worry. I'm still on Vervain' Caroline reassured him drily

'Caroline, I'm sorry' Stefan apologized quickly 'But if you would just listen to yourself for a second, you wouldn't blame me'

'And how do I sound, Mr. Salvatore?' she folded her arms across her chest.

'You sound like you and Klaus are involved' Stefan said slowly.

Caroline rolled her eyes 'As if. Klaus wouldn't get involved with anyone; he's too Goddamn scared of relationships. The only reason he would get into one, is if there's something he needs and would get out of it' Caroline blurted out, her tone slightly annoyed.

'And that's the only reason why you are not involved with him?' Stefan inquired trying to keep a straight face.

'Of course not' Caroline rolled her eyes sighing 'Why are you being all cryptic and detective about this?'

'I don't know. You tell me' He tilted his head to the side.

'Oh great, I'm guessing we're gonna have a very long talk'

Stefan gave her a meaningful look before walking towards the door. Caroline followed him silently.

* * *

When they were finally seated in some random café, Caroline was trying to chat casually with Stefan, who only nodded and smiled for a while before cutting her off and starting the serious talk

'Caroline,' he started slowly 'please be honest with me. Are you having feelings for Klaus?'

'You really are persistent, aren't you?' Caroline tried to joke about it, but gave up when Stefan gave her a firm look 'No, I'm not, Stefan. I know better than that. You know, I'm not stupid.' She answered drily.

'No one is saying that you are, Caroline. I'm just worried that he might be... You know… getting under your skin' Stefan fought for words.

'He's not, Stefan!' Caroline said impatiently 'I've developed some sort of tolerance towards him but that's it' maybe that was a lie. Her feelings weren't just mere tolerance to him, nor were they mere sympathy. But she wasn't about to tell Stefan that, not when she hardly admitted it to herself.

'I'm just worried that he's playing his mind-games with you' Stefan sighed.

'Again with the mind-games' Caroline grimaced 'Why would he want to play mind-games, Stefan? Please do tell me' It was obvious that Caroline was upset by the repeated referral to the supposed mind-games Klaus loved to play so much.

'Because he's manipulative' Stefan said impatiently.

'He's not as bad as you think he is' Caroline tried not to sound too enthusiastic about that, her tone, however, was a pitch higher than normal.

Stefan blinked, resting back in his chair. His tone was a puzzled murmur as he asked 'What do you mean he's not as bad as I think he is?'

'It means that he has more to him than the manipulative, psychotic serial killer.' Caroline answered quietly 'I've seen sides of him I never thought existed, and I can swear that this man has more humanity in him than any of us have ever thought, Stefan' a half smile crawled its way to Caroline's face as she added 'He's been so wonderful to Rebekah when she arrived. You should've seen him take care of her. And when he paints ...' she sighed dreamily 'the expression on his face is out of this world'

Stefan just stared at Caroline; unable to decide how he felt or thought of this except that he was purely and utterly shocked. Caroline had a good eye for people, but some things were just a tad impossible for him. The Klaus Caroline so dreamily described was not the same one who sacrificed his girlfriend on an alter to build an army of hybrids, he was not the one who compelled him to turn off his humanity to use him as his little puppet, he was not the one who constantly threatened their lives for the past six months. To Stefan, it was either a different Klaus Caroline had been seeing, or Klaus had manipulated her into seeing that side of him. Either ways, Stefan was sure that Klaus had gotten under Caroline's skin, even if she, herself, refused to admit it, for it was as clear as the day.

'What?' Caroline pulled Stefan out of his thoughts.

'Caroline,' Stefan seemed hesitant, quite unsure of how to begin his speech 'I think you do like him' he murmured, his eyes darting to the side as he said that.

Caroline said nothing. Unlike her usual outbursts of quickly dismissing the subject, she thought about Stefan's words this time, dropping her gaze to her cup of untouched tea. For a few moments silence took over as Caroline finally began to surrender to the fact that Stefan was correct. She could deny it. She could yell at Stefan and leave him in the café regretting his words and tell him she never wanted to see or speak to him ever again, she could scream and shout about how he, for one second, could think of such a terrible thing. But what good would that do her? Caroline had denied it every night since they watched Titanic together, convincing herself that what she had felt for him was nothing but mere sympathy, that it was nothing but the mere urge to fix his broken self, that she was not attracted to him in the slightest. But where had it gotten her? It had not faded away, whatever it was that she felt for him, that intense feeling between wanting to kiss him so hard to the point that neither of them could breathe, wanting to slap him across the face for making her feel this way, and wanting to mend his broken heart had only deepened twice as much as before. Caroline knew she couldn't, knew she _shouldn't _do anything about it, yet, she could not dismiss it. Not when he was there with her every hour of everyday, showing her more and more of his normal self with each passing hour. Yes, she did like him. Yes, he had gotten under her skin. And admitting it, made her realize why she was so upset when he said he wanted not to act on his feelings, neither wanted to open up to her. That was why she had been so furious at him when he refused to believe that she was very much curios about his life, and why she wanted him so badly to tell her everything.

'I think I do' Caroline's shocked voice tore the long silence. Stefan noted the surprise in her voice, and how she lightly shook her head as she spoke. He, too, was astonished. He was certain that she liked Klaus, but he expected her to deny it. He was waiting for the table to get turned over his head and to see her walking furiously away from him.

But she didn't. Caroline honestly admitted her feelings, not only to Stefan, but to herself, as well. It was obvious that the occurrence of that factor shocked her as much as it shocked him.

After another a few silent moments in which Stefan processed her words, he rose to his feet, threw a few quids on the table and urged Caroline to stand up with a gesture of his hand. The latter stood, giving him a questioning glance.

'You're going back with me' Stefan said, his tone and voice stern as if what he had said was inarguable

'What?' Caroline, not yet awoken from her first shock, found herself asking far less snappily, in fact almost absently, Stefan's figure who was urging her to move.

'_You're going back with me_' he emphasized his words grabbing her wrist.

He was beginning to drag her when she finally snapped out of her frenzy and shook his hand off 'No I'm not' she hissed.

'What do you mean you're not?' Stefan frowned, saying impatiently.

'It means I am staying here until my deal with Klaus is over' she spat.

'Listen to yourself, Caroline' Stefan was hardly containing himself from yelling 'You trust him? What has he done to you?!' Stefan grabbed her shoulders, almost shaking her.

Yet again, she shook his hands off of her, throwing him a disgusted grimace 'I am _not_ trusting him. This has _nothing _to do with what I feel for him. This is about me, making sure that no one gets hurt. Do you have any idea what I will get you and myself in if I break my deal with him right now?'

'_I don't care_' Stefan was well beyond his normal tone 'We can protect ourselves and you from everything. If we leave you with him now, if we leave you with him and you have feelings for him then God knows what he'll use you for and we cannot let that happen'

'You cannot protect yourselves from Klaus's wrath! This is stupid and you know it!' Caroline yelled back. It seemed like she was making a scene wherever she went in those past couple of days 'I won't let him hurt me. He doesn't seem to want to in the first place, otherwise he had had tons of opportunities and all the time in the world to do it, but he didn't. I am not going back with you. You're not the boss of me! I am so sick of being pushed around by all of you and being told what to do constantly. First it was not to get involved with Tyler, then it was not to make the deal with Klaus, and now you want me to break this goddamned deal and go back to the U.S. even if I had not seen any real threat so far? Hell no, Stefan, you do not get to do that with me. And if Klaus does kill me or hurt me you can tell me "I told you so" in the after-life'

With that Caroline pushed past Stefan, deliberately bumping into his shoulder. Stefan stood there for a second, flabbergasted as he watched her fast-paced figure descending and blending with the crowds.

* * *

'You see Stefan is trying to drag me back to the U.S. Of course, he and Elena had been planning on that long ago. I knew that when Elena said that Stefan was coming to visit that they were planning on taking me back to the U.S., because they think they can control me, but I told Stefan that he could go to hell. I should've told him to take Elena with him, don't you think?'

The bartender was quietly listening to Caroline's drunken, slurry words. It was elven P.M and she was drinking in The Ritz bar. After her fight with Stefan she had went to a therapeutic shopping, then, not feeling quite ready to face Klaus again, she headed to the bar instead of their suite.

After five or six drinks she started telling the bartender her story.

'And then there's Klaus who immediately closes up and gives me the silent treatment as soon as I begin to ask anything personal. You see he claims that he _fancies_ me then does nothing about it.' Caroline babbled on waving her glass in the air 'You see I want him to do something about it because he's hot. Because he's _very _hot, and very evil which makes me wonder why hadn't he done anything yet, and I am very lonely and sad' Caroline's eyes focused on her glass, as if seeing something very interesting in it, then suddenly asked the very patient bartender 'Do you think he's waiting for me to do it, Tom?' she asked him.

'Maybe' Tom shrugged.

'Maybe I should' she nodded then added determinately 'I will. Tonight'

That moment Klaus showed up and the bartender sighed with relief.

'Thanks, mate' Klaus muttered addressing Tom as Caroline greeted him with incomprehensible words.

Tom nodded and resumed his work away from the couple. Klaus was about to carry Caroline but she stopped him

'I can walk' she said, swaying from side to side. Klaus sighed but complied to her wish.

'Don't forget the shopping bags, mate' the man who was sitting a few stools away from Caroline told Klaus.

'Oh, right' Caroline attempted to get them but Klaus stopped her.

'Carry yourself, love, I'll get those' he said.

Caroline shrugged.

During their way to the suite Klaus had tried several times to carry Caroline, but she always stopped him, muttering something about not being disabled.

'Where's Rebekah?' Caroline asked as they entered their suite.

'I got her a room' he answered casually heading towards Caroline's room.

'Good' Caroline tried to smile mischievously but it came out awkward.

'We have a very important conversation' she said, heading towards his room.

'That's not your room, sweetheart' Klaus tried to stop her.

'I know' she smiled wickedly and entered his room.

He stood in the doorway for a minute unsure of what to do.

'Have I told you that I find you very hot?' she asked drunkenly.

'No, you have not. Thank you for the complement, love, now let's get you to bed.'

'I don't want to sleep' Caroline said taking off her shirt 'I wanna do something else'

'Caroline, what are you doing?' Klaus gulped down, trying to stop himself from taking advantage of the situation and keeping his eyes on her face instead of letting them wander.

'What does it look like?' she took her jeans off, revealing her long legs.

'Good God, Caroline, if you don't stop now I don't know what might happen' he said, fighting hard to stop his eyes from roaming over black lingerie but failing miserably.

She smiled seductively, slowly starting to unclasp her bra. He flashed over to her, causing her to startle. Her smile widened when he grabbed her shoulders and slowly backed her down to the bed. She stumbled and fell on it. Looking up at him expectantly, she lounged on the bed patting the space beside her.

Instead of doing what she had expected him to do, he carefully covered her 'Get some sleep, Caroline' he said firmly.

'No' she whined pushing the covers away 'I don't want to!'

He covered her again, making sure that his fingers wouldn't graze her skin 'Yes you do' he ordered.

'You suck' she spat, but it took her only two seconds before falling into a deep slumber, hugging his scent-filled pillows close to her.

Klaus sighed and left the room.

* * *

**So this is it! Tell me what you think :D See you in next chapter :D**

**Bye!**


	13. Quite the Gentelman

**Hello! A new chapter :D Thanks for the wonderful support on the last one :))  
**

**So far this is my favorite chapter, I really enjoyed writing it and I hope you'll enjoy reading it as well :D  
**

**Happy reading!**

* * *

**13: Quite the Gentleman**

A cold shower, that was what Klaus truly needed, a very cold shower.

He spent the whole night wide-awake, internally scolding himself for acting like a gentleman for some absurd reason, because now he couldn't sleep. All he could do was try hard to contain himself which was nearly impossible when he slept in her bed and was enveloped with her scent. It took him an hour to decide that he was not going to get any sleep in her bed and head to the drawing room where he lay unable to sleep still. Her picture in that sexy black lingerie was painted in his mind and no matter how hard he tried to push it away, it floated back in his head; that, of course, was increasingly frustrating. Giving up on sleep, Klaus snatched a sheet of parchment and started sketching instead.

* * *

The pillows were heavenly scented. It was an unfamiliar scent to Caroline, yet she liked it and it soothed her. It smelled of rainy woods, of vanilla and honey, and Caroline buried her head deeper in the pillows, loving the comfort it gave her. When she was gradually slipping back into complete unconsciousness, she noted her strange surroundings. She shifted underneath the cover, opening her eyes slowly. The first thing Caroline noticed was the lack of clothing, or rather the almost none existent clothing, that she wore, and her hearing registered the sound of running water. As her blurry vision gradually focused back, memories of the night before flooded her mind. The last thing she remembered was her stepping into Klaus's room and …

_WHAT? _

The extremely embarrassed, totally panicked Caroline sat up with a gasp on _Klaus's _bed. She stared around her, wide-eyed, her breathing quickening and her mind refusing to function. The sound of running water was coming from the shower, that only added up to her panic. Caroline had no specific recollection of what had happened after she had... Umm… err …. _Stripped _for Klaus and the fact that he was in the shower and she was almost naked in the bed was not comforting.

'Oh God! OH NO!' Caroline was muttering to herself as she stepped out of the bed.

'Good morning, love' Caroline heard Klaus's voice coming from the doorway of the bathroom and fell into a crouching position behind the bed, hidden away from his vision, as if that would somehow erase his memory of what had happened the night before. Caroline hoped so much that nothing serious had happened… Other than the fact that she completely and totally embarrassed herself, that is.

'Stay there!' Caroline yelled and heard his chuckle.

'I doubt there's anything that I haven't seen yet, sweetheart' Klaus's voice was not only teasing and mischievous, but also sexy and low.

'Oh God' Caroline groaned again blushing and wishing if the ground would swallow her.

'Are you planning to stay there the whole day, love?' Klaus teased, the smile, or rather smirk, quite evident in his voice.

Caroline sighed. Collecting her courage she pulled down the thin sheet on the bed and wrapped it around herself, being quite unfortunate for her jeans were neatly lying on the chair near the door along with her shirt.

Raising her chin high, she rose to meet his standing figure, leaning against the door frame. The only thing he was wearing (or really wrapping around his waist) was a towel. Caroline gulped down at the sight and despite her various attempts, completely failed from keeping her eyes on his face. They wandered down to his broad shoulders, his masculine chest, the perfect abs… and that was when she noted how he was looking her over, as though mentally stripping her, which Caroline had made quite easy for him.

'Oh no! You're giving me that look!' Caroline shrieked

'What look?' Klaus said innocently, his eyes flashing to hers for a second before being trained back on the almost-transparent sheet Caroline was wrapping around herself.

'The I've-seen-you-naked-look' Caroline said quickly, panic all over her face.

Klaus smirked deviously 'More like the I've-seen-you-almost-naked-look'

Caroline felt herself turn tomato-red, wanting to die of embarrassment, and Klaus just had to grin, coming closer to her. Although wanting to move, because he was stepping slowly, dangerously closer to her, with his extremely sexy swagger, his hair still dripping with water, his manly smell increasingly surrounding her, making her breathing quicken, she couldn't move an inch, she couldn't bring her feet to back down one step. The gravity of his blue-eyed gaze held her in place, pulling her closer to him. It was something Caroline had never experienced, he had the ability to draw her in that moment more than gravity itself had, he was attracting her like a magnetic field, holding her in place, and she couldn't move. All she could do was stare back into his eyes, fighting hard not to drop her gaze to his beautiful smirk-wearing lips. All she could think about was how his lips would feel against hers, how his hands would feel on her skin. More than anything she wanted to run her hands through his wet, blond hair, more than anything she wanted to feel his skin against hers. Caroline was panting hard as Klaus stood so very close to her, his eyes shifting from her eyes to her lips. He noticed the exhilaration of her breath and his smirk became even more devilish. Slowly, as if not to startle her, Klaus placed his index finger on her cheek, barely touching her as he traced a line from her cheek down to her jaw-line to her collarbone where he stopped lingering there with the back of his finger, realizing that he too was breathless. Caroline's skin was on fire from the effect of his scarce touch, an overwhelming passion taking over her senses.

'Don't worry, love' he said sweetly, his voice close to a whisper 'Nothing that would upset you happened' His breath tickled her face and Caroline swallowed loudly, unable to utter a single syllable 'But you have no idea..' his sweet whispers turned into his seductive, sexy voice as he added 'how hard it was.. How hard it still is to contain myself' he leaned even closer to her, their lips almost touching and Caroline thought that she was about to lose complete control.

'What the bloody hell is going on in here?' Rebekah's shocked voice came from the doorway.

Caroline gasped as Klaus turned with a start. Rebekah alternated her gaze expressionlessly between the two of them who were almost getting cozy before she stepped in. Realizing what she was about to do just then if it hadn't been for Rebekah's intrusion, Caroline blurred out of the room in a matter of less than a second.

Klaus faced his sister who amusedly raised an eyebrow at him 'Oh how good it is to see you, sister' Klaus said drily.

* * *

She wasn't meeting his eyes. She couldn't meet his eyes. Inwardly, she was kicking herself for the humiliation she had put herself in twice within the past twenty four hours. Caroline did not settle for literally stripping for Klaus, for literally offering herself to him on a silver platter when she was drunk, but also, almost surrendered to him while she was wide awake. And as they stood in the hotel lobby, she glued her eyes to the floor and wished that it would somehow swallow her. The thought of what she had done was more than enough to make her blush for a whole month, but realizing that Klaus hadn't even shared the bed with her was something that made her want to die of embarrassment. She saw his jacket when she hurried away from the crime scene to her room, on the bed where he had forgotten it. Even worst, she could smell his scent on her pillows as if she was not tempted enough to sleep with him already.

_What? NO! You wanna sleep with the frigging enemy? _Her mind scolded. But what was the use of denying it? Yes she did want that, more than anything actually.

Caroline shook her head numbly as she stared at the back of Klaus's head, how did he get so much under her skin? She always thought she was too smart to be seduced by him. She found herself wishing that she had just left with Stefan the day before. Yes, it would have been dangerous and almost suicidal, but staying with Klaus for two more weeks might be equally as dangerous… not for the same reasons, though. The reason behind this danger was her growing feelings towards the extremely handsome, incredibly attractive, unbelievably sexy man who was standing two feet ahead of her (who is also so very evil, of course). The man who she could only resist for so long now that he had showed her sides of him she never thought existed. The fact that he had not taken advantage of her the night before was beyond shocking. Never once had she thought that Klaus would have such decency in him.

_Still, he barely talks about his personal life. He doesn't let you in, Caroline; it's a waste of time. _She thought with a depressed sigh.

She watched as he sweetly chatted, almost flirted, with the receptionist Julia who blushed and laughed, with rising irritation.

'Oh you flatter me too much, Mr. Mikealson' Julia was saying between shy chuckles making Caroline scoff.

Klaus was arranging a transportation method for them. They were leaving to Scotland the next day where he said they will be spending the rest of their time because it was beyond beautiful, according to him. And Caroline was excited for it.

_He didn't say anything about flirting with the receptionist, though. _She thought, rolling her eyes at them.

It was then that she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure standing beyond the glassy door of the hotel's lobby. Focusing back on where her eyes fell, Caroline saw Stefan gesturing for her with his head to see him, then darting off to the right. She could hardly contain herself from gasping.

'Umm Klaus' she told him urgently. He immediately turned his attention to her with smile playing around the corners of his mouth 'I'm just gonna go wait for you outside.' She said casually and he frowned 'There's just this dress I'd like to check in the store across the street' She tried to muster a believable fake smile.

Klaus nodded, slightly shrugging 'I won't be that long' he said casually.

With a smile still on her face, she jogged out of the hotel. She started walking rapidly to her right, until a hand grabbed her arm pulling her around the corner, where her face almost made a contact with Stefan's hard chest.

'Gosh, Stefan! Do you have a death wish?!' Caroline scolded 'You were supposed to be back in the US by now'

'I know, I know' Stefan whispered urgently 'But I couldn't leave without making sure you were OK'

'I'm _fine_' she said impatiently 'You really have to stop acting like my big brother' she scolded

Stefan sighed 'I know' a moment of silence passed before he added softly 'I also wanted to apologize. I couldn't leave after that terrible fight we had yesterday'

Caroline shook her head numbly 'And you couldn't have done that through the phone?'

'Well, I wasn't sure if you were going to stay in contact with us' Stefan shrugged frankly

'Oh God' Caroline sighed 'You're terrible! Of course I would have stayed in contact! Gee, Stefan...' she teased, punching his shoulder lightly 'You really gotta stop worrying so much'

Stefan chuckled 'Also I wanted to tell you that I meant what I said yesterday, and that you still can back down and come with me'

Caroline just raised an eyebrow at him, folding her arms across her chest to emphasize a point

'That's what I thought' Stefan groaned

'It's OK, Stefan' Caroline caressed his shoulder soothingly 'I'll be fine'

'OK' Stefan sighed 'Just stay in contact, will you?' he pleaded softly

'Of course' Caroline nodded solemnly.

Stefan then pulled her into a firm hug as he muttered 'Be careful'

'I will' Caroline assured him with a sigh

'Look who we have here' Klaus's voice came menacing from behind Caroline who broke the hug with Stefan immediately, swallowing nervously

'Klaus…' she started slowly, stepping in front of Stefan who was trying to pull her back behind him. Instinctively, he felt the urge to protect her from Klaus, and the idea that it should be the other way around was quite surreal to him 'Stefan was just visiting. He's leaving' her voice was quite pleading as she slowly stepped towards Klaus whose eyes were fixing Stefan with an angry glare. Stefan showed no fear at all as he still held Caroline's wrist lightly, preparing to drag her behind him as soon as Klaus made his move.

Klaus hissed at Stefan, bearing his teeth, and the latter hissed back

'Klaus please' Caroline's voice was almost panicked as she placed a soothing hand on his chest, turning his attention back to her but his eyes were still cold 'You don't have to hurt him' She added urgently, tears dancing in the corners of her eyes. Klaus glanced down quickly to where Stefan still held her wrist lightly and clenched his jaw, something that went unnoticed in the midst of her panic 'Please' she added desperately. Klaus stepped away from her touch, and Caroline's hand fell limb on her side.

Unclenching his jaw he addressed Stefan with the usual devious smirk and threatening tone 'I'm only sparing your life this time, Mr. Salvatore for the sake of Miss Forbes's feelings. Be smart and never show me your face again, though, mate. You never know when will I lose my temper' then addressing Caroline whose breath was still caught in her throat, he said drily 'If you really do wish to spare _his _life, follow me immediately to the car'

Caroline nodded urgently, lightly shaking Stefan's hand off her wrist. She turned to give him a small reassuring smile before quickly following a very-much-in-a-bad-mood Klaus.

* * *

Their journey to the Tate Modern was far more disturbing than all others they have went to, something that distressed Caroline and even Klaus a little. They tried to make out the best of it; nonetheless, it was by far the worst day since the beginning of their tour. Klaus was far more snappy and impatient with Caroline, and she was quite confused what to think of it. She had lied to him bluntly, which was something that he did not take lightly, and her fright over the consequences of her action was evident in her tone and on her face during their entire journey.

When the trip was thankfully over and they stepped back into their hotel suite, Klaus said nothing except that she should be ready at seven o'clock for dinner. Then he headed to his room, closing the door behind him a little too harshly.

Based on her request they were heading to the hotel's restaurant since it was their last day in London. Caroline chose a light-blue dress for the evening. The dress was one of the many things she had bought the night before. When she saw it, she immediately fell in love with it; it barely reached her knees, and revealed almost all of her back. Unlike the first time when she had dined with Klaus in London, Caroline was paying special attention to how she looked for him, even though she tried to convince herself that her focused attention to look stunning had nothing to do with him. At seven o'clock sharp, Caroline was looking at her reflection in the mirror and smiling, satisfied with the result.

Klaus, too, was more than pleased with the result, and it was quite clear on his face, but he quickly concealed everything with a formal, indifferent expression and a faint smile, something that made Caroline nervous the entire ride in the elevator for her thoughts were running wild about when will she see the explosive consequence of her lying to him.

For a while they sat in silence, avoiding each other's eyes for what seemed to be an eternity. Caroline did not want to think how much of a déjà vu that was compared to the first dinner they had together, but for quite different reasons this time.

No longer tolerating the heavy silence, Caroline huffed and, slumping in her seat, said quickly 'OK, let's hear it'

'Hear what?' Klaus asked, his eyes finally meeting hers.

'Go on, get it out of your system, scold me for what I did today' She sighed, bracing herself for the upcoming tantrum.

'You should've told me' Klaus said through gritted teeth.

Caroline's eyes were fixed on her lap 'As if you would have let me see him' she muttered, and that simple reply took all of the courage she could muster to say.

Klaus just sighed then resumed staring at his glass of red wine.

Caroline fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat 'Please don't hurt him because of that, Klaus' she said in an almost whisper.

His gaze was sharp when it returned to hers, his eyes held something that Caroline couldn't quite name 'You care that much about him?' He said trying to keep an even voice.

'Of course' Caroline said, staring at her empty plate 'He's my friend' she muttered.

'Friend' Klaus scoffed.

'Just because you don't believe in friendship that doesn't mean it doesn't exist' Caroline snapped looking back at him. Noticing the way his eyes gleamed with anger, she took refuge in her wine. She decided that he was too angry for any kind of harshness from her.

'Yes, and I assume that you and Mr. Salvatore are nothing more than friends' he said sarcastically.

Caroline choked with her wine, barely able to keep it in her mouth and not create a mess. Once the wine was safely swallowed she burst into a fit of laughter. Klaus blinked startled by her reaction, then, thinking that she was making fun of him, he felt rage taking over his mind

'What could possibly be funny?' he said in that dangerous tone of his.

'You are!' Caroline said through her laughter. She imagined being with Stefan and it just felt, and looked, so _wrong_. He was like her mentor, her guardian, her older brother, but as someone who she would be romantically involved with? _Hell no!_

'What's that supposed to mean?' he balled his fists.

It's only then that Caroline decided to explain herself, otherwise the damage could go to the point of irreparability 'OK.. OK I'm calm' she inhaled and exhaled deeply trying to push away the laughing 'You think that Stefan and I are involved?' yes, the laughing control lasted for two seconds then she burst again.

'You mean you and Stefan aren't?' Klaus shook his head numbly, a shocked expression on his face.

'_No!' _Caroline exclaimed 'Hell no! I mean don't get me wrong he's a great guy, but he's too in love with Elena he won't notice a girl if she dropped to her knees and confessed her ever-lasting love to him. And I hardly see him that way. God no, just Eww!' she said between chuckles, watching Klaus's face turn from shock to _relief_ 'What made you think that we were a thing, anyways?' she squinted at him

Klaus was still slightly confused, but quickly recovered and answered with a light chuckle 'Well, you sneaked out to see him, then I found you hugging him and he was hovering protectively, so I thought…' he waved his hand in the air.

Caroline rolled her eyes 'He was saying goodbye. And of course he's protective of me around you, that's just his instinct. He can't really get the fact that you are no threat to me' she shrugged

Klaus's features softened as he gently asked 'You truly no longer believe that I am a threat to you?'

'Well,' she hesitated 'You haven't done anything that makes me believe otherwise' she bit her lower lip, slapping herself for answering so honestly.

Klaus grinned in response, but said nothing.

They were chatting lightly about several subjects, after the Stefan issue had been solved, when their main course arrived. With its arrival the other blonde Original stepped into the dining room elbowing a handsome young man who was telling her something that made her laugh. Klaus's eyes followed them as they rested on a table across the room from them with a calculating gaze.

'What's her deal?' Caroline asked gesturing towards Rebekah.

Klaus shrugged 'Just someone to spend the evening with, I believe' although he tried to sound careless about it, Caroline noted concern in his voice.

'By the way' she cleared her throat 'Is she coming with us to Scotland?'

'No' Klaus quickly answered and Caroline released a breath she didn't know she was holding 'She's staying here for a couple of days before returning to Mystic Falls'

Caroline nodded 'Why did she come anyway?' She couldn't stop herself from asking 'I mean, I don't mean to intrude but she didn't look well when she showed up' she quickly added.

'Well,' Klaus started slowly 'She had a little fight with Elijah over the Wickery Bridge incident because they supposedly had a deal not to kill Elena'

'Yeah I know about that deal' Caroline said holding his gaze with hers 'It was all because they wanted you back. I didn't realize that they loved you so much until then' she emphasized her words.

Klaus smiled slightly, returning back to his food.

* * *

The music was tempting, even more tempting with the wine they had that made talking easier. The dance floor was inviting, even more when knowing that your dance partner was a good dancer. They swayed slowly with the music, with one hand holding his, the other on his shoulder, and his hand around her waist, his fingers slightly brushing the exposed skin of her back, setting flames wherever the fell, they danced. Caroline wondered how kissing him would feel like if the slight touch of his finger made her breathing heavy.

She was close to him, much closer than she should be, inhaling his intoxicating smell, feeling the warmth of his body, surrounded by his presence. The feeling was splendid, and the wine made her mind slightly out of focus that she could completely enjoy the moment without having to feel guilty about it. This dance was like no other. She wasn't confused over an invitation she had received from him, she wasn't despising him, she wasn't trying to keep a straight face for Tyler's sake as he muttered the most confusing of words to her; she was simply enjoying his presence, enjoying the way he led her on the dance floor, the way he looked at her, the way he held her close. Simply, she lost herself in the perfection of the moment, as his passionately burning gaze held her own. Neither of them looked away, neither of them could look away, nor wanted to.

'You were jealous' Caroline suddenly said softly with a small smile playing on her lips 'You were jealous when you thought that I was involved with Stefan'

Klaus chuckled lightly, looking away before returning to her eyes 'Can you blame me? I thought he had gotten what I wanted, Caroline' he said softly

'Or what you think you want' Caroline almost whispered 'I mean, you still don't know if you do want to get involved with anyone'

'You shouldn't care, Caroline' he shook his head numbly 'You do not want to give me what I want even if I was sure of it'

'Is that why you didn't take advantage of … last night?' she flushed

'I was tempted' he admitted 'Very tempted and very close to giving up' he softly said 'but I knew that you'd never forgive me if I had taken advantage of the situation, and I knew you'd regret it, so I didn't because I do not want you to have any regrets if we are ever to go there'

'You think you'll ever be ready to go there?' she whispered her question, the wine making confrontations a lot easier

'Maybe' he answered honestly 'I think I will be ready sometime'

She gave him a sweet smile to that, the smile that he loved so much, and that made his insides turn with a rush of something that resembled guilt.

'There was a very compelling moment last night' Klaus smirked

'Oh yeah? What was that?' Caroline said already dreading the answer

'You said I was "hot"' he teased, a cocky grin occupying his face.

'Oh God' Caroline blushed, dropping her gaze to the floor, wanting to die of embarrassment

'Don't be shy, love' he mused 'It was very flattering, as a matter of fact'

She laughed softly to his comment.

'Caroline,' he started seriously after a short moment of silence, and she focused her eyes back to his anxious ones 'Will your answer change now if I asked you whether you would ever consider giving me a chance or not?'

He held his breath as she pondered his question for a minute

'Yes. I think it would change'

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Please review :D You think you can get me to 85 reviews with this one? I'd love you forever and really it's not that much to ask of you guys, because you're all so awesome :D **

**OK, off I go! Bye :D  
**


	14. Ghostly Figures

**Hi! It's me again! OMGOSH! Guys thank you SO MUCH for all the reviews on the last chapter, you truly made my day! Please keep it up like that it makes me so happy and your opinions are so important!  
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**Now I would write a long rant about your awesomeness but it's past 5 A.M and I need sleep! So I'll just settle to a BIG thank you :D **

**Happy reading!**

* * *

**14: Ghostly Figures**

There were no nightmares that night. Caroline slept peacefully through the night for the first time since Tyler's death. There were no nightmares, only dreams of Klaus doing unspeakable things to her that made her blush when she saw him first thing in the morning, recalling how so very wrong it was to feel this way about him.

There were no nightmares, but Caroline did not know if that was a good or a bad sign. Did it mean that she was now trusting Klaus so much to the point that even her subconscious stopped urging her to stay away from him? And where was The Voice? Of course the contradiction between her subconscious and the direction of her thoughts while she was awake was bothersome, but at least that assured her that she was not completely losing her mind, that she was not completely driven in the route where Klaus had wanted her to turn all along.

But it didn't matter anymore, because there were no nightmares in her sleep. There was only his sweet dimpled-smile and sparkling blue eyes.

* * *

Klaus was clearing the last of his things from the drawing room when Caroline stepped closer to the painting he had been working on during their stay in the hotel. He had left it to be packed at last and for the first time she allowed herself to look at it closely. Caroline frowned as for the first time she noted the floating figures in the darkening painting. Squinting, she recognized not what they were, for they weren't human figures, nor animal-shaped, they were something that was quite incomprehensible. They were ghosts, unrecognizable ghosts. In the midst of her concentration, Caroline did not notice how Klaus froze in his place and stared at her intently, taking in every expression of hers.

'Do you not like it?' Klaus asked, noticing the frown she was wearing.

Caroline shook her head lightly 'I am not sure how I feel about it' she paused for a moment, focusing her attention on the ghostly figure that stood in the middle. She noted how that figure gave the feel of being slightly more dominant, with the posture it held and the way it was a tad taller than all the others.

She felt Klaus approaching her. He stood next to her facing the painting, his scent filling her nostrils, and, once again, she felt that extreme pull towards him. She felt her cheeks turn red, recalling the dreams she had had about him the night before.

'What does it make you feel when you look at it?' He asked, pulling her out of her thoughts.

'Depressed' was her quick, sure answer

'Why?' he asked again.

That needed a moment of thought from Caroline, and when she answered, she was hesitantly talking 'I am not sure. I guess it's the colors, they are too dark. And those figures, they just seem so…. Lost'

Klaus pondered that for a moment before asking her again 'What do you think this means?' he gestured to the painting

'I don't know' she shrugged 'You're the painter, you tell me'

Klaus shook his head 'Forget that the painter is standing next to you. It doesn't matter what _he _thinks it means, what do _you _see when you look at it?'

Caroline fixed her gaze on the painting, ignoring the fact that it was Klaus's and the fact that his arm was brushing hers lightly.

'I think …' she started slowly 'that these ghostly figures are people who lost their idea of themselves, and don't really know who they are or what they want, that's why they are so foggy and vague. And that they are lost in the darkness, thus the gloomy surrounding' she concluded turning to meet his small smile 'What?' she asked with a smile of her own.

'That's the perfect answer' Klaus said with a gleam of admiration in his blue eyes.

'Is that what it really means?' Caroline asked him with a raised eyebrow.

Klaus blinked saying seriously 'If you think that this is the explanation behind it then that's the explanation behind it'

'Yeah that's what _I _think is the explanation behind it, but as the painter, what's the real explanation behind it?' She urged

'Caroline' he smiled turning fully to face her 'That's the thing about arts, love, there's no "real" explanation behind it. Whatever you think it means that's what it means. Not even the artist's explanation to the painting is the real one'

'Yeah' Caroline said confusedly 'But when you start a painting, there's a certain message or whatever that you want to deliver and paint based on that, right?'

'Actually, not' He answered tilting his head 'It's a very vague vision I have of the painting when I start, and as I move along it starts to make more and more sense to me. Sometimes I don't understand what I paint myself'

Caroline nodded slowly 'That's interesting. I always thought you would have everything planned when you start the painting'

'Well, it depends on the picture' he added

'How?' she asked, truly enthusiastic about the subject. After all, Klaus was finally sharing a personal experience with her willingly and talking about it so freely in front of her.

'Well, if I am to draw something like this picture…' he gestured to the one they were standing in front of 'I wouldn't have it planned out. But if I am to draw you, I would have it planned, and so very carefully so it can do you justice' he smiled sweetly at her, giving her the same focused gaze that seemed to linger on her features, the one that used to make her uncomfortable before, but now gave her a fluttering sensation instead and a smile that she couldn't wipe off of her face no matter how much she tried.

'Have I ever told you…' Klaus stepped even closer to her to the point that their chests were about to brush against each other, and had any of them leaned in closer their lips would meet. Caroline's breathing picked up at once as she lost herself in the blue ocean that was his eyes 'how much I love your smile?' he whispered gently.

Caroline wanted to say something, anything, but when her lips parted she couldn't say anything that wasn't "Kiss me", so she shut them closed instead. And with that, Klaus's sweet smile, turned into a cocky smirk. He tenderly removed a strand of hair away from her eyes then cupped her cheek, never taking his eyes from her face. Caroline found herself unable to stop from staring at his beautiful lips, unable to stop herself from leaning into his touch, unable to even her breathing or to utter a single word. The flame his touch caused ripped through her entire body, her mind stopped thinking about anything other than the need to lean in and kiss him fiercely until her lips were bruised and swollen, until she couldn't breathe.

'You're so beautiful, Sweet Caroline' Klaus whispered, his own voice husky, his breathing heavy. He leaned in closer and Caroline felt his breath on her face. His lips were brushing hers ever so slightly, anytime now he would kiss her. Caroline's breathing became so heavy at the anticipation of his next move that she wanted to happen so badly, but a very, _very _distant voice was urging her to stop him.

With a sudden move he jerked away from her, stepping back several steps. Caroline was confused, she truly believed that he was about to kiss her, she really wanted him to kiss her. Then she heard it, the sound of knocking on the door. Klaus was muttering something angrily under his breath as he strode off to open it, leaving Caroline surprised that she was so caught in the moment with Klaus that she didn't even hear the knock on the door.  
_What have you done to me, Niklaus Mikealson?_

She just hopped that the young man who came to take their bags downstairs wouldn't pay highly for his intrusion at the very wrong time.

* * *

'Where's Nik?' Rebekah asked, stepping into Caroline's room, who was packing the last of her things. Caroline had heard Rebekah as she stepped into the suite and wandered looking for Klaus, but refused to talk to her, instead ignored her completely and went about her business. The least she could do to Rebekah was showing her insolence after what she had done to Elena.

Caroline shrugged her shoulder carelessly without looking at the blonde Original.

'I suggest you talk or I will make you talk my way' Rebekah said through gritted teeth.

'Wow, Rebekah, you don't have bad temper at all!' Caroline mocked, zipping her bag 'He's at the reception. We are checking out' She answered, facing the not-so-happy Rebekah for a second before turning back to pack her handbag.

'What do you know, He's going to pay this time' Rebekah said sarcastically.

'Yeah' Caroline shrugged with a slight snort 'He has a thing for the receptionist obviously, doesn't want her to lose her job' Caroline tried to sound sarcastic, but her irritation slightly surfaced at the end of the sentence.

Caroline focused her gaze back on Rebekah who was eyeing Caroline sharply and weirdly at the same time, as though judging her. The latter folded her arms across her chest, if a staring contest was what Rebekah wanted, then Caroline was all for it.

'I know what you're doing' Rebekah suddenly stated harshly.

'What's that?' Caroline asked raising her eyebrows at Rebekah

'I know you're using my brother' Rebekah hissed.

'Right' Caroline scoffed 'I'm using your brother. Call me crazy but I don't think it's very wise to "use" Klaus and expect not to lose your head as a result'

Rebekah stepped closer to her, her voice threatening as she uttered her words 'My brother cares for you, Caroline, it's more than obvious, so if you are not interested in him, leave him be. He's been through enough, and a broken heart because of someone like you he doesn't need.'

'I'm the one who is dangerous in here, Rebekah?' Caroline said sarcastically, rolling her eyes '_I _am the one who is in danger here because of your brother's tantrums. _I _am the one who should fear that he's playing games with me, not the other way around'

'Is that so?' Rebekah mused, then added intimidatingly through gritted teeth, pacing even closer to Caroline, who was trying to not be frightened by the Original vampire, but failed 'Well, let me tell you something then, Caroline, if it turns out that you are playing a game, if you do break his heart, then I will rip yours out and gladly. So you make sure that your stupid, little, blonde head does not do anything that you might regret' by the end of her sentence, she was cornering Caroline between the wall and her threatening face 'Is that clear?' she asked.

'Yes' Caroline's voice shook despite herself.

'Good' Rebekah said sternly. She then moved away with a sweet smile 'It was really nice talking to you, Caroline' she said before leaving the room and darting off out of the suite.

'Oh hello Nik' she heard her greeting her brother cheerfully in the doorway.

Caroline stood still for a moment, recovering from her shock that seemed to be the day's theme

_Did Rebekah just defend her brother's heart? _

* * *

The transportation method that Klaus had chosen for them was the black Cadillac car. He claimed that the road trip, even though long, was far more fun and that there was a lot to see.

And he was right. Never mind the rain that seemed to take complete control of the weather that day, the scenery was absolutely beautiful. There were green hills and beautiful lakes on all sides as they drove on to their destination. Klaus was quiet, and unusually so. It was not the peaceful silence that would occasionally occur between them, neither was it the heavy silence that would lead to Caroline's annoyance and frustration, it was the thoughtful silence. He was wearing the same look that she had seen a few nights ago, like he was a man in a conflict of which he did not know how to solve.

Caroline caught herself staring at his profile instead of at the road trying to figure out what it was that kept him thoughtful, but did not succeed for he kept an annoyingly straight face that told nothing she did not know. To distract herself, she picked up her cell phone and texted Elena. Caroline was thankful for providing herself with a SIM card that worked in London during her shopping trip, at least she wouldn't have to depend on hotel phones.

_Hey, Elena! On my way to Scotland, _she wrote, _all is great. _

It took Elena a mere minute to reply, as though she was waiting for the text for quite sometime

_Hey Care, Why aren't you calling? Did something happen? Call me! _

Caroline sighed profoundly as she texted back

_Nothing happened, sweetie. I'm in the car with Klaus, we can't exactly talk. _

The reply came instantly

_That's it? There's nothing you want to hide in your voice and you are not chained to a chair and being forced to type? _

Caroline rolled her eyes.

_Gosh Elena! Stop freaking out! There's nothing I wanna hide and I am looking at the most beautiful view. _

That view was the man sitting next to her and the green hills in the background. Caroline shook off the idea immediately.

Elena's text arrived two minutes later

_OK, just let me know when you get there. Love you. _

_I will, love you too! Give my best to Stefan._

With that Caroline turned off her phone, slumping in her seat.

Klaus was still silent which, by then, was frustrating to Caroline. She smiled mischievously to herself as a thought popped into her mind and she started fumbling with the radio. It wasn't until Taylor Swift's voice rung in the car that she stopped and turned it up. The song was one of her favorites _"Sparks Fly", _which almost every guy hated and reminded Caroline of Klaus so much. She started to sing along in a low tone, waiting for Klaus to comment but he didn't. She threw several expectant glances towards him, but he was as silent and unchanged as ever.

'Oh God' Caroline groaned dramatically 'What's wrong?'

Klaus turned to her startled, as though just waking up from a deep sleep 'What's wrong with what, love?' he asked.

Caroline really shouldn't let him get away with breaking their deal so much and so guiltlessly. But for some reason she loved it when he called her love or Sweet Caroline

_Oh God, Caroline! What are you doing to yourself?! _

'With you!' Caroline's tone was annoyed 'You've been as silent as a stone ever since we left the hotel. What's wrong?'

Klaus turned back to the road pressing his lips lightly.

'Great' she rolled her eyes 'please do resume your silent treatment. We have only six hours to go. Clearly there's no need for talking'

'I am acting as solely your guide!' he mused.

'Funny' she rolled her eyes 'Now you decide to stick to the deal? The whole trip I've let you get away with all the flirting and teasing and pet names. Besides even our deal says that if I wanted you to talk to me you do' She blurted out.

Klaus chuckled 'I really did not think you would be so upset over my silence'

'I'm not upset' She defended her tone a pitch higher than normal.

Klaus shook his head, chuckling still 'What would you like me to say?'

'Umm' she thought about it for a second 'How come you didn't object that we are listening to Taylor Swift?' She raised an eyebrow

'Well, sweetheart, if you like her music then I have nothing to object to' he grinned.

'You're so cheesy' Caroline rolled her eyes, but couldn't help the smile.

His eyes glittered with that sparkle she loved so much and saw so rarely, as he laughed his beautiful laughter. Caroline had the sudden ridiculous urge to make him pull over and kiss him so hard just then.

She shook her head as though that would wipe the thought away. A moment of silence passed as Caroline did nothing but stare at his profile, there was a smile dancing still on his lips, and his dimples were still evident. He looked exceptionally joyous that moment. All signs of whatever dilemma that ailed him a few minutes before were gone. Klaus tried not to think about how Caroline could turn his mood around instantly for that would lead his thoughts back to where he did not intend to go. He felt her eyes on him, but did not want to disturb the process of her thoughts, instead he stared on as his smile widened.

'I think I don't like your painting, Klaus' Caroline suddenly said, desperately needing to distract herself from her own thoughts.

'Why?' Klaus asked seriously, but was not bothered by her comment at all.

'Because it's too dark' Caroline said simply 'I mean, every lost soul can find its way back. A little bit of light would have, at the very least, provided hope' she reasoned, intentionally referring indirectly to him.

'Even if it was lost in complete darkness?' Klaus asked, slightly frowning.

'Even if so. There must be a way or a person that would lastly save it' Caroline nodded in confirmation, turning her whole body in the passenger's seat so that she was facing him

Klaus was thoughtful for a moment before replying unsurely 'What if that lost ghost had no soul? Will there still be any chance for it to be saved?'

'Like a vampire?' Caroline asked sternly, knowing the answer. Klaus's hands tightened around the driving wheel to the point that Caroline thought he would crush it 'Even if it was a soulless creature. There must be some sort of salvation, some sort of light that would break its way to darkness. There's no way someone would live in pitch darkness for their entire life'

Klaus's face was cold when he asked again, his voice close to a whisper 'Even if that person had lived in pitch darkness for a thousand years already?'

Caroline's eyes formed tears 'Even if ' she whispered softly to him, then added with a pitch higher tone 'But that person must want to step out of the darkness, not push anyone who comes close to freeing him from it'

Klaus's profile was an expressionless mask that made Caroline feel so cold, even his eyes carried no emotions at all. Something that Caroline truly hated, for it was hard to break her way through his mind when he could easily wear a mask that would give nothing away. Even more she hated how sad that made her feel, for she was sure that whatever he was hiding was far more tormenting for him to allow anyone to see it.

Caroline's mind flashed back to Rebekah's words at that moment. Rebekah was obviously very concerned about her brother. Of course, she did not like Caroline and would have really liked to threaten her, but Caroline could easily tell that that was not the deal that morning. She was looking out for her brother and Caroline wondered more than ever what hidden stories Klaus had behind him. She wondered how much pain he had to go through in those thousand years he lived. Surely he would turn it off. Until then Caroline had not heard a single happy story about his life, from being an outcast in his family and his own mother rejecting him, to being hunted down by his father, to his mother wanting to kill him, to one true love who died and whose story Caroline was eager to learn, but knew that she may never be able to. Where was _his _redemption? Where was_ his _salvation? Is he ever to find happiness or had he lost that right when he started killing people in search of what would fill that void in his heart? Had he had the chance to find it several times before but shut them down that he no longer had a chance anymore? But no, it can't be. Klaus had good in him, just like Stefan and Damon who did unspeakable things but one found his happiness and the other was soon to find it, she was sure of it. Klaus deserved that, too. He suffered, too. He wanted love more than anything but never received it. He deserved a chance at finding his own happiness as well.

'You will find light, Klaus, if you allow it in' Caroline told him gently, resting a hand on his arm soothingly, her eyes still forming tears. Klaus clenched his jaw and Caroline could swear that his eyes were sparkling with tears, but he quickly contained himself and wore his expressionless mask again 'You deserve happiness, too, Niklaus, and you will find it one day' she whispered.

The problem was that Klaus himself did not think that he deserved happiness.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Tell me what you think :D **


	15. A Moment Like This

**Hello everyone! I know this is shorter than usual, but I didn't want it to end up one LONG LONG chapter so..  
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**This was supposed to be uploaded before, but an anonymous reviewer (Lindsey) said that I had grammatical mistakes that annoyed her and I spent two days going through the past fourteen chapters. I ended up fixing typos, because honestly I had no idea what I was looking for in the grammar. I am sure I made mistakes but I really don't know where they are, so please saying that I do have them doesn't exactly help, tell me where is the mistake so I can fix it. I'm trying my best here and I am so sorry if it bothers you. I am not a native. I repeat I am _NOT_ a native. So please tell me what it is that I'm doing wrong. I would really appreciate it :)  
**

**On another note, this might be the last chapter for quite sometime. I am traveling to the US on Tuesday and I probably won't be able to update before. I will continue writing during my stay there, but I don't know when will I get my hands on WiFi so... I will do my best though :D  
**

**And that was a very long Author's note! Off I go :D Happy reading.**

* * *

**15: A Moment Like This**

Laughter and jokes filled the rest of the trip much to Caroline's surprise. Klaus had needed about fifteen minutes to bounce back to his normal, light, playful attitude. Something that relaxed Caroline so much for it meant that he was gradually growing accustomed to her remarks and no longer immediately shut her out of his world. Of course, she still had no clue what it was that went through his head when she uttered her sentence then fell into silence, not breaking it until he did, but it was considered to be a breakthrough. Yet Caroline tried not to get her hopes up for Klaus was quite unpredictable and when will his doors slam shut again was a mystery that she should not take lightly. Nonetheless, Caroline was beyond happy with his attitude. She was even more happy when the rain stopped and the sun shone brightly, giving the scenery around them a gleam of joyfulness that was immediately reflected on their moods.

During their comforting ride to Scotland, she had tried to guess where it was that they would stay. Klaus had refused to utter a word, instead dared her to guess.

'I can do that' Caroline agreed with a firm nod and a calculating look, finishing off the blood bag she had been sucking on. Klaus had kindly surprised her by robbing a blood bank in London. Caroline did not want to think why he had not bothered to take one, not just yet.

'Let's see what you've got, Miss Forbs' Klaus grinned.

'Umm' she pondered 'A five stars hotel?' She went with the obvious

Klaus simply shook his head

'A B&B?' Caroline asked doubtfully

'Does it look like I stay in B&B's, Caroline?' Klaus raised an eyebrow at her.

'No' Caroline mumbled. She squinted thoughtfully 'A big mansion?'

'Close enough' Klaus shrugged.

Caroline huffed, her excitement turning into frustration 'Can't you just tell me?'

Klaus chuckled 'We'll be there within half an hour, love, you must have little patience'

Caroline's thoughts, however, started to drift into another path, neither excitement nor frustration. She was plainly apprehensive. If it was neither a five stars hotel nor a B&B, then it had to be something that Klaus owned, which went along the lines of big mansion, huge house, a villa etc…. Something that meant Klaus and herself alone, in a huge space and closed doors and… well it was just a very bad idea.

'We're there' Klaus whispered, pulling her out of her thoughts. The sun was about to set as Klaus turned towards a narrow path that endless green fields stretched hundreds of miles on its right side. Caroline frowned, not truly understanding where it was they would be staying. Klaus simply drove on with an annoyingly teasing grin

'Where are we?' She asked

'Just look ahead, Caroline' He said simply

When she complied her eyes fell on a gigantic building a brief distance ahead of them. The building was nothing other than a castle.

'Klaus..' Caroline gasped, and he chuckled 'We're staying here?' she beamed at him

Klaus grinned. She wanted to squeal, but knowing that it was probably not such a good idea to do that in front of a thousand years old Original she settled for her slight jumpiness in her seat. Klaus laughed at her reaction.

'You own this?' she asked enthusiastically, hardly able to be patient for their arrival.

'Yes' Klaus nodded 'Even those green fields' he gestured to the hill on his right were miles and miles of green stretched. Caroline couldn't even see where they ended

'Oh my God' was all she could utter.

Klaus finally pulled over, and before Caroline could even react, he was out of the car and by her door, opening it for her. She smiled gleefully at him as he offered her his hand and she took it gladly with a huge grin spread on both of their faces.

A dark-haired middle-aged man appeared immediately

'Mr. Klaus' the man said cheerfully. He was wearing a heavy coat and Caroline could easily tell that he was human from the sound of his heart bumping blood through his veins 'I hope you have had a good trip' he said kindly, and bowed to Caroline upon seeing her.

Caroline smiled at the sweet gesture.

'It was very well' Klaus nodded nicely to the man. It truly stunned Caroline how he seemed to be able to look so sociable and friendly with everyone and rip their head off seconds afterwards. She shuddered at the thought. Caroline suddenly felt a wave of bitterness hitting her that she was not able to understand 'Caroline' Klaus addressed her sweetly, placing a hand at the small of her back and she tried her best not to be distracted by his touch 'This is Jack' Caroline smiled at the man, still gulping down at the feeling of Klaus's hand resting on the small of her back 'Jack, this is Miss Forbs. She is to be treated like myself. Her demands are to be immediately granted. Make that clear to everyone' he said sternly. Jack nodded solemnly.

Klaus then led Caroline inside the castle. If Caroline had thought their Ritz suite was so beautiful, she should have seriously re-considered. To say that she was staggered would have been the understatement of the decade. The first thing that Caroline met once she set foot inside the castle was a grand foyer, connected to a wooden staircase. Two paintings of magnificent landscapes were on opposite walls in the foyer that were the first thing to catch a person's attention.

'You did these?' Caroline asked Klaus with a grin plastered across her face, gesturing towards the two paintings

'Yes' Klaus said with an adorable smile of his own.

'They're amazing' Caroline said, her eyes alternating between the two of them.

Her legs started dragging her around the castle without any specific direction, and Klaus simply followed her steps without a word but with a gleeful smile still on his face. Caroline marveled on everything, it felt almost like living two centuries before, everything smelled of history and elegant beauty. The first floor had absolutely no clue of modernity except for electricity, all else belonged to the 1800s and that had its own romantic atmosphere to it for Caroline. For some reason, Caroline believed that romance was at its best back then, unlike its fading appearance in her life those days. Caroline did not want to think how much _that _fact changed ever since Klaus's appearance in her life.

After much fascination with the first floor, Klaus had ushered for her to follow him to the second one, where the corridor seemed to be endless. Klaus opened a door somewhere in the middle of it

'This is you your room' Klaus gestured for her to enter and she did so enthusiastically.

Caroline's room might as well have been a queen's. The bed was twice as big as the one she had had in the Ritz, with red, velvet covers. She had her own living room in a corner of the room with comfortable couches and a flat screen, which was the only technology related object that Caroline had seen so far. There was a door that Klaus opened and revealed it to be her own walk-in closet. A few feet away from the latter was another door that led to the bathroom. But none of that made Caroline ecstatic as much as the balcony that was connected to her room. With her smile still intact, she strode on towards it, where she found a white table with two chairs around it and Caroline couldn't help but think how much of a perfection that was as she stood behind the fence. The scenery was breathtaking with all the green hills that stretched endlessly below and the sun setting in the horizon. Caroline drew in a deep, cool breath gazing dreamily towards the sunset, taking in the beauty of the colors' streaks that varied to a million shades she could not even begin to describe their magnificence neither could she name them.

Noting his disappearance and being somewhat bothered by it, she instinctively turned around, her eyes roaming to find him. Her eyes fell on his figure where he stood a few steps behind her, his own eyes were trained intently on what little he could see of Caroline's face and smile when she turned. Her smile widened immediately while his own features softened and a smile occupied his lips despite his attempts to stop it. His smile and the look in his eyes were somewhat dazed, it was what his eyes caught that took his breath away and almost made him gasp. A cool, soft breeze blew that moment, sending Caroline's blonde locks to fly scarcely as she continued to smile at him, the angle in which the sunlight fell on her figure creating a gleam of lights, which Klaus had never witnessed, in harmony with her blonde locks and blending beautifully with the sunset behind her. Caroline simply looked like an angel that moment.

For the first time in his entire life Klaus's world faded and nothing was left but that image which he wanted so badly to freeze. Klaus, more than anything, wished to stop the world from spinning, to stop it forever at this moment. The moment in which nothing remained but him and that beautiful angel smiling at him like he never thought she would, like he always hoped she would.

_Maybe you shouldn't, Klaus, maybe you shouldn't do it after all._

* * *

Caroline caught herself singing cheerfully as she unpacked her suitcase. True, after Klaus had left her and darted off to his own room, Caroline slumped on the bed and started staring around her, wide-eyed with fright. It was then that the idea sunk in. Caroline was alone in Klaus's castle. Caroline was alone in Klaus's massive, romantic castle with Klaus who she has feelings for. This was far more dangerous than a huge mansion and more than anything Caroline was afraid that she might do something really stupid which was more than a little bit likely. Especially that Klaus was on his best behavior with her.

She, however, dismissed all thoughts after a while of thinking and calculating and decided to enjoy the moment, because a part of her mind was actually hoping that she might do something stupid and thought that it was not as idiotic as she might have thought it was, a part that Caroline shoved away to the very back of her mind, and heard it slamming against her skull.

She was getting out of the shower when she heard a soft knock on the door.

'Who's it?' she asked, her gleefulness quite apparent.

'It's me, love' Klaus said, a hint of smile in his own voice.

'Of course it is' Caroline sighed. Pretending annoyance was far easier with her features blocked from him 'What can I do for you, Niklaus?' Never mind the fact that she liked his full name far better than Klaus and that it felt less ominous when said, but also her tongue seemed to say it on its own accord that she did not even notice it.

From behind the door, though, Klaus did notice and just had to smile to himself, for some absurd reason it felt so good to hear his name roll off her tongue.

'May I come in?' he asked from behind the door.

'Nope' Caroline said immediately, staring at her reflection in the mirror with only a towel wrapped around herself. Caroline had already given him too much insight once; she was not going to do that again.

'Why?' Klaus whined

'Because, I'm getting dressed!' Caroline huffed. One of the things that were so great about being a vampire was that such conversations did not have to include shouting.

'Then I insist on coming in' Klaus said and Caroline just knew that he was smirking 'I'll break the door if I have to'

'Pervert ' Caroline snapped teasingly 'Go away, I'll follow you downstairs in a minute'

Caroline heard Klaus chuckle 'If you insist, love. Maybe next time, you'll let me in'

'Right' she scoffed, but blushed at the thought nonetheless.

Klaus laughed lightly then she heard him, striding away after saying 'Wear something comfortable, love'

Caroline grinned, staring at her reflection at the thought of how much she had grown to love hearing his voice and words.

_Caroline Forbes, you are way out of line._

* * *

'So when did you buy that castle?' Caroline asked casually. They were sitting in a nice, simple diner that had nothing but seafood, something that Caroline assumed was Klaus's favorite and he had confirmed her suspicions by volunteering this piece of information casually. Their meal was, as usual, very much enjoyable. And all thoughts Caroline had had before about fearing Klaus seemed to gradually fade into the very back of her mind, until she thought that someday she will wake up with them gone altogether.

'It was around 1919' He said thoughtfully 'And it wasn't an easy process. The owner was very persistent on not selling, but I can be quite compelling as you know'

'Yeah I know' she scoffed '_Very _compelling'

Klaus chuckled 'I paid, though, if that makes it any better'

'Whatever' Caroline shrugged 'I'm not gonna judge you for everything you have ever done. I have my own list of mistakes' she shrugged.

_What I've done, what I still do is one thing, Caroline, and mistakes is a whole other thing. _Klaus's head defied him to stop it from swarming with the most irritating if thoughts ever. Still, he was able to keep his face a seal from his thoughts.

'It actually belonged to a prince once' Klaus said as an attempt to calm his thoughts.

'Really?' Caroline raised her eyebrows at him

'Really' Klaus nodded 'I actually was there when the prince had lived there'

'What were you doing in Scotland?' Caroline asked enthusiastically

'I came to see Rebekah' Klaus answered 'the prince was infatuated with my sister, and had proposed to her. I was in Switzerland back then when she sent me a letter telling me all about it so I came to see her.'

'Did she say yes?' Caroline's voice was a little shocked by the occurrence of that fact.

'Yes' Klaus nodded 'But then got bored and left him one week before the wedding. She left to Switzerland with me' Klaus said.

'Did she really get bored or did you force her out of it?' Caroline inquired, tilting her head and meeting his eyes, his expression became frantic fro a second before he went back to his expressionless mask

'Mikeal had found us then' Klaus said coolly.

'Can I get you anything else?' the waitress, who had been trying to flirt with Klaus ever since they arrived, came that moment, salvaging Klaus from further details.

'No thanks, love' Klaus said with a robotic smile 'Just the check please'

Caroline's posture stiffened at hearing Klaus's tone 'love' she scoffed under her breath, but Klaus heard her and his smile widened. The waitress was red-headed as well, like the receptionist Julia back at the Ritz.

When the waitress strode back with the check Klaus deliberately smiled his dazzling smile to her saying 'Thank you very much, sweetheart'

The waitress smiled widely but shyly at him as she strode away from them under Caroline's glare

'Since when do you make it a habit to pay?' Caroline asked sarcastically

Klaus shrugged, keeping a straight face 'Since I didn't want you to get uncomfortable, love'

'As if you care' Caroline muttered 'You just have a thing for red-headed girls and don't want them to lose their jobs' her voice was evidently irritated.

He raised an eyebrow at her, smirking 'Do I sense a hint of jealousy there, Sweet Caroline?'

'Funny' she immediately retorted

'It's alright if you are, Caroline. I think it's quite adorable' Klaus said with a smirk still on his face.

Caroline rolled her eyes 'Let's just leave'

'Not before I say goodbye to that lovely waitress' Klaus joked casually.

'Yeah you do that' Caroline rose to her feet, staring down at Klaus sharply despite her attempt to keep a neutral face 'And I'll see at your wedding with her'

She heard Klaus's beautiful laughter and his steps following her outside.

'Oh Sweet Caroline' he said, catching up with her easily 'How can any woman catch my attention with you standing in comparison' he added softly

Caroline turned to give him a snarky remark, but her words were caught in her throat when she saw him giving her the intense look that made her still heart pound. Her breathing became rapid as he stepped closer to her. Once a mere inch separated their faces, he murmured sweetly 'My deepest apologies to you, Miss Forbes, if I had upset you'

Despite herself, she gasped when he leaned in and planted a sweet, slightly lingering kiss on her cheek.

'Come' he said as he pulled away and placed a hand on the small of her back, guiding her with a smile on his face 'let's take a walk'

Caroline merely nodded; knowing that if she made the idiotic mistake of talking her voice would betray how much that simple kiss set her on fire. She could still feel the hot trail it had left on her skin for hours afterwards. And as they walked around the beautiful city, Caroline knew that it won't be long before her defenses would wither completely.

Still, she couldn't bring herself to worry about that.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Please, please review :D **


	16. Schizophrenic

**I'm back with a new chapter! I missed you guys! Gosh I am so sorry that it took so long to update, but in my defense I told you I won't be able to update for a while. So it turned out my problem isn't in the WiFi I got my hands on one immediately, it's that I don't really have much time to write, so I'm sorry but updates might take long for quite sometime. I mean I am on a vacation after all and I am having tons of fun! :D  
**

**OK, so I really like this chapter! I hope so do you :)) Enjoy!**

* * *

**16: Schizophrenic **

'Come in' Caroline said sleepily when a soft knock aroused her from her deep sweet sleep. She rolled to her side, facing the door to see who it was that awakened her. Upon the entrance of the housekeeper, Mrs. Williamson, she sighed, slightly annoyed by the fact that it was not Klaus's face she would be seeing first thing in the morning.

_Caroline Forbes you are...  
_  
_I know, I know, way out of line, stop saying that already! You are losing the battle way too easily_. Caroline's brain (or was it brains?) fought against each other whenever Caroline was thinking about Klaus, which was mostly all the time she was not with him. It was increasingly unnerving to be torn between the part of her mind that was sure she was falling for him and surrendered so easily, the one that wanted to stop the process so miserably, and her body that responded to him more than it did to anyone else, not even Tyler.

_Yeah right remember Tyler? The one who hadn't been dead for a month before you wanted to screw the reason behind his death and misery?_

It was Bonnie's call, he had no idea what was happening!

Now you are defending him? You had not even taken the time to mourn the person who broke every bone of his body a hundred times to be with you before starting to fall for the person who tormented him. Maybe you are a whore Caroline Forbes.

Shut up already! Tyler's dead, I have to move on. Klaus is so wonderful and amazing and incredible and handsome, and gee I just wanna kiss those lips of his and get lost in his eyes and be surrounded by his warm embrace and the way he looks at me and...

Enough, enough! Stop torturing yourself, Care, Klaus is not ready to take the leap of faith that is a relationship. Klaus will never act on his feelings, he is too afraid to get his heart broken again.

Then I will reassure him.

How?

By waiting for him... As long as it takes.

Gosh, Caroline you really need to call Stefan! Maybe he can get some sense into your brain!

But I do not want sense into my brain, what I feel is so splendid, so joyous, I do not want to lose it. I cannot lose it. 

_Now you just sound like him.  
_'Good morning, Miss Forbes' the elderly Mrs. Williamson greeted Caroline with a gleam of kindness in her grey eyes that frighteningly matched the color of her hair.

'Good morning to you' Caroline smiled back, silencing the argument in her brain. It was then when she noticed the tray of breakfast that Mrs. Williamson was carrying.

'Would you like to have your breakfast in your bed, or would you like to have it elsewhere?' Mrs. Williamson asked sweetly.  
'Umm' Caroline squinted, shifting her eyes to the balcony. The sun was shining brightly and everything green looked so fresh and inviting 'Can I have it in the balcony?'

'Certainly, Miss' Mrs. Williamson nodded and darted off to set the table in the balcony.

Caroline yawned as she got up from the bed and headed to the bathroom quickly brushing her teeth and washing her face. When she returned to her room Mrs. Williamson was still standing patiently in the balcony.

'Where's Niklaus?' Caroline asked as she sat down 'I mean Klaus' Caroline cleared her throat when she saw Mrs. Williamson's eyes widening a bit.

'He is in his room, miss' she answered politely

'uhmm' Caroline nodded, pondering her next thought. Before she could open her mouth Mrs. Williamson read her thoughts

'Do you wish to see him, Miss Forbes?'

Caroline smiled radiantly as she nodded eagerly.

The sudden rush of extreme joy that rushed through her, struck Caroline that she needed five minutes to recover and process the fact that she probably did not want Klaus to see her in her short pajamas. Quickly she wrapped a robe around herself. Of course Scotland was quite cold, but Caroline being a vampire did not care about that. However, Klaus did not have to see her in her short pajamas. She barely had time to hop into her robe, though, for she could hear his steps as he approached her door. She quickly readjusted the mess of her hair, cursing herself for not dismissing the housekeeper's (or castle keeper's) offer and taking her time to get ready instead. But it was too late because Klaus was softly knocking on the door.

'It's me, sweetheart' he said softly which sent a jerk of unexplainable excitement through Caroline's body. She inhaled deeply and sat back in the balcony before inviting him

'Come in' she tried to not sound so enthusiastic, but her voice was a pitch higher than intended.

Klaus stepped in, dressed in black jeans and his grey sweater that Caroline loved so much. He seemed slightly confused as to why he had been asked for in such an early hour, nonetheless when his eyes landed on Caroline's seated figure on the chair in the balcony, his face not only softened, but also his eyes widened in surprise.

'You look beautiful' he said huskily. Caroline rolled her eyes, truly believing that his complement was totally out of place.

'I mean it' he smirked, looking her over again.

'Right, because the look of my messy hair and plain of make-up face is such a delightful view' she said sarcastically, trying to hide her discomfort.

'The most delightful view I have ever seen' he said softly, giving her his burning gaze. Noting the sincerity in his voice Caroline blushed and bit her lip, unlocking her gaze from his 'What can I do for you, Caroline?' his tone was still soft.

'hmm?' being distracted by his presence, Caroline was dumbfounded. He opened his mouth to repeat his question but she was quick to cut him off 'oh! I was wondering if you were interested in having breakfast with me' her voice dropped towards the end of her sentence.

'I'm not interested in breakfast, but I am more than interested in keeping you company' his smile was evidently happy. Klaus saw it as a major breakthrough that she had wanted his presence first thing in the morning, and the smile that she gave him back made him want to kiss right there, right then, forget about the past, forget about the future forget about everything that he was doing and just kiss her.

'What are our plans today?' Caroline asked casually with a smile still on her face as Klaus sat down.

'Well,' he started 'Since when do I tell you what it is that we are doing?' He raised an eyebrow at her

'I just figured you would tell me for once' Caroline grimaced.

'Don't you trust me?' he asked

'Yes' Caroline blurted out before actually understanding the hidden meaning behind the question 'I mean when it comes to that' se added shakily, but Klaus did not buy it of course.

'Then trust that you will have an enjoyable time, love' Klaus smirked. He reached for the tea pot casually and poured some tea into Caroline's cup which made her eyes widen as she watched him

'What are you doing?' she almost gasped as he placed the cup of tea in front of her

'What?' he asked, clearly surprised by her panicked voice 'Did I do something wrong?'

'Yes, I mean no!' she stumbled on her words, then, inhaling deeply, she explained herself 'You're Klaus frigging Mikealson, and you're pouring tea for me'

Klaus chuckled lightly 'Caroline, I don't really treat everyone the same way'

'I know that' Caroline said, still not quite recovered from her shock 'but you're still the big bad Original hybrid. I never thought that you'd be pouring me tea'

He answered her, with a smile still on his lips 'I'm not the Original hybrid with you Caroline. I'm simply Niklaus Mikealson'

Caroline couldn't help the sudden giddiness that spread through her from head to toe. She smiled at him fondly, but that expression quickly turned into a slightly sad one that made her cast her gaze downwards, trying to hide her face from his vision

'What is it, love?' Klaus asked softly, tilting his head.

'Nothing' she said, barely audibly, shaking her head lightly

'Caroline' his voice was filled with concern then, as she felt him moving in his chair until he was beside her 'Please look at me'

She bit her lower lip harshly to the point that she could taste blood in her mouth. Sighing heavily, he placed a finger under her chin, forcing her eyes to meet his again. Caroline immediately reacted to his touch, wanting more, as though his touch was the only thing that could possibly make everything right. His features were so soft when her eyes fell on his face, his eyes were alarmed

'Caroline love, what did I say that hurt you so much?' Klaus almost whispered

By the looks of it, Caroline's face was a transparent glass towards her anxious mind, with her tears-forming eyes and the way her lips slightly quivered with distress.

'Please, love, forgive me for whatever was wrong that I have said. I cannot stand watching you like this' he pleaded and tenderly cupped her cheek, gently stroking it with his thumb

'You say that…' Caroline's voice shook 'You say that… you are only Niklaus Mikealson with me but…' her eyes wandered, looking everywhere but at his apprehensive face 'but… you don't allow me to see who he is. You don't allow me to get to know him' she licked her upper lip, dropping her gaze so that she couldn't see the surprised expression which his face wore.

A short moment of silence passed before he could find anything to say.

'I did not think that it would sadden you that much, Caroline' he said softly, a warm flutter rippling through his heart that he had never experienced before and that, although felt incredible, bothered Klaus immensely.

'Well it does' Caroline said a little sharply meeting his gaze again 'It does bother me and sadden me, Klaus, that you don't let me know th….'

Klaus's lips cut her off. She did not see it coming and didn't respond instantly, but it took her mere seconds to do so. The kiss was sweet, so sweet and tender that it took Caroline's breath away. His lips were exceptionally gentle on hers, and, just like Caroline imagined, kissing Klaus was like nothing she had ever experienced. The warmth that spread through her body was unexplainable. Her heart seemed to sing with delight. His fingers burned her face as he grazed her cheeks with his thumbs, pulling her closer to him, trapping her lips with his. Caroline sighed (or moaned) into the kiss as she placed both of her hands on his hands, wanting so much more than he was offering. Although tempted to give her what she wanted, and what he very much desired, he didn't. For some reason he found it highly inappropriate to push it further. That kiss ought to leave Caroline quite confused for a while, and pushing it further might not be the best idea, neither for him nor for her. So instead he reluctantly broke the kiss and Caroline could hardly stop her babbling tongue from fiercely protesting.

Klaus seemed to be just as surprise as Caroline was with his movement. However, he quickly recovered and smirked, his hands still cupping Caroline's cheeks.

'I'll see you downstairs' he whispered, and just like that disappeared, leaving nothing but a whip of air on Caroline's face.

* * *

She was pacing back and forth, fumbling restlessly with her phone. Caroline wanted to call someone; she needed to call someone. Of course, in situations like these the first person she would call would be either Elena or Bonnie, not this time though. She wasn't having a crush on one of the boys in her class or in the football team and wanted him to ask her to prom, she was _falling in love _with Klaus Mikealson, the Original Hybrid who had ruined their lives, except now he was making Caroline's life perfect… absolutely perfect. Caroline had never felt as happy as Klaus had made her feel in the past ten days. Caroline had never felt such a powerful passion as much as Klaus had made her feel in the past ten days. Caroline was terrified of thinking what would happen to her once this whole trip was over and Klaus still insisted on not getting involved in a relationship, even more, she was terrified that what she felt for him was far stronger than what he felt for her. Another thing that Caroline should be terrified of was the fact that she will not be able to get involved with any man without comparing him to Klaus.

She slumped in her bed groaning in frustration. It was only then she realized that she was clutching her phone harshly to the point that she almost crushed it. After much calculating she dialed Stefan's number. By the looks of it, Stefan had not told Elena about their harsh encounter, nor did he tell her about what Caroline truly felt for Klaus, something that Caroline truly appreciated, for she did not need another person panicking over that. Stefan wanted Caroline to tell Elena about it considering the fact that they were best friends, and told her as much, but Caroline was not ready just yet to tell Elena.

'Hello' Stefan answered calmly

'Hey Stefan, how are you?' Caroline tried to hide the anxiety in her voice, but, as usual, it gave her away.

'Hey Care, what's up?' his tone, too, was slightly off

'Nothing really' she answered casually 'Just enjoying my time in Scotland'

'Caroline' Stefan scoffed 'I knew the minute you answered that something is off, so talk'

'Nothing is off, Stefan' Caroline murmured

'I don't believe you' Stefan said simply

'Well, there's obviously something off going on with you, too' she retorted 'So you spill'

'Don't deflect, Caroline' Stefan chuckled

Caroline sighed 'Seriously, is something wrong with Elena?'

'No' Stefan sighed, too 'It's Damon. He thinks that my method of drinking blood isn't exactly suitable for Elena. So he's been annoying the hell out of me over that'

'Screw Damon' Caroline said firmly 'It doesn't matter what he thinks. The only that matters is what Elena thinks'

'Yeah, I guess you're right' Caroline didn't miss the weariness in Stefan's voice.

'Stefan' Caroline said softly 'Don't worry. Elena will be fine, you'll help her find her way'

'I don't know if I can, Care, I mean _I_ can barely deal with the urges' his voice was a mere whisper

'Yes, Stefan, but that's changing, you're gaining control back over your life, and Elena seems to be quite contented with everything' she reassured him

'I just don't want to disappoint her, you know?' he whispered still

'Hey! Stop that!' She scolded 'You're doing great. Elena loves you. And you will both be OK. OK?' Caroline just wished she could give him a comforting hug then.

'OK' Stefan said quietly. A moment of silence passed before Stefan interrogated with his brotherly sternness 'Now what's up with you?'

'Oh God' Caroline groaned 'I thought you'd forget by now'

'Very funny. Now talk or you'll see me at your doorstep in Scotland'

'Oh no' Caroline panicked because she knew that Stefan was completely up to it

'Then talk' he said firmly

'You know, you could have totally worked as one of those detectives in CSI' she said sarcastically

'Caroline' Stefan said firmly

'Fine' Caroline huffed 'Klaus kissed me' she blurted out then added calmly 'He kissed me and I kissed him back'

There was a long silence on the other end. Caroline waited for it to be over patiently, even though she couldn't even hear Stefan's breathing.

'Stefan,' she finally whispered pleadingly 'Please say something'

'What do you want me to say, Caroline?' the other whispered as well.

'Anything' Her voice trembled slightly, tears pooling in her eyes, guilt very evident in her tone. She knew he was mad; he had every right to be angry at her. After all, she was the one who was falling for the enemy; she was the traitor who gave no consideration to what that person she had been falling in love with had done to her friends. She was the one who had been crossing over to the dark side.

'I really don't know what to say, Care, I'm not even surprised that that happened' he finally told her, his tone close to a whisper.

She wished he would scold her, shout at her, scream at her tell her she was crazy, anything other than the silent treatment.

'It didn't surprise you that he kissed me or that I kissed back?' she asked pointlessly, because it did not matter. Either ways Caroline had responded to Klaus, and powerfully so, that she could still feel the burning flame his lips had left on hers. And just thinking about it made her want more, so much more.

'Neither surprised me, Caroline' his own whisper carried a hint of guilt, as though he was ashamed that he had thought that of Caroline.

_But you shouldn't, Stefan, you were right._ Caroline thought, a tear trailing its way down her cheek where Klaus's hand had been so tenderly touching her. She didn't know if the acute heat that was suddenly alighted in her cheek was caused by her tears or by the memory of his touch.

_I'm a terrible person. I'm thinking of Klaus's kiss and touch and how much I want so much more than what he gives me while on the phone with the person who suffered tremendously on his hands. _

'I'm scared, Stefan' Caroline's voice was shaking, and it was quite evident that she was crying.

'Scared of what, Care?' he asked quietly, although knowing the answer

'Of what I feel, of what he makes me feel' she whispered, tears of shame running wildly down her face.

Again, nothing met Caroline's ears but Stefan's ultimate silence, as he held his breath still.

'This was a mistake' Caroline finally gave in 'I'm sorry. It's inappropriate, I shouldn't have said anything. I'm just gonna go' she was about to hang up when Stefan's voice interrupted the process.

'Wait, Care, don't hang up' he said hurriedly, and Caroline immediately reacted by bringing the phone back to her ear 'I'm sorry, Care, I just needed some time to get my mind wrapped around this.' He paused, sighing 'I don't understand this, Caroline, I don't understand it at all, but all I know is that I shouldn't leave you alone in this, I can't leave you alone. Even if I think that what you feel for Klaus is twisted, even if it's something that I do not and will not understand, I will be there for you, Care. Because you're scared, and I am scared for you, and I am your friend'

'Thank you, Stefan' Caroline smiled through her tears. That, however, only made Caroline feel worst. He was being so nice about it and Caroline was not so sure she deserved it.

_What do you mean you don't deserve it? It's not like you intentionally fell in love with Klaus. _

_I'm not in love yet, I'm falling in love. _

_What's the difference? _

_Huge difference! I could still stop the process if I am not fully in love. _

_Keep saying that and you might believe it. _

'Do you think Klaus can get you to do something you don't want to do? Like he would use your feelings for him for his own benefit?' Stefan was bravely keeping an even voice

'I don't even think he knows what I feel for him' Caroline answered thoughtfully

'Trust me he knows' Stefan tried not to chuckle 'Klaus is a detector for people's feelings and you're worse than an opened book'

'Great' Caroline scoffed 'At least I don't have to do this whole major confession thingy'

'You're not planning to vocalize your feelings, though, are you?' Stefan said instantly alarmed

'Why does it matter? You already said that he knows' Caroline shrugged

'Yes but when you actually admit it, it's like you saying you wanna do something about it' Stefan elaborated.

'Well' Caroline sighed 'I wouldn't have to worry about that. I mean it's, after all, Klaus who has to do something about his feelings, he already admitted feeling something for me' Caroline mumbled

'He did what?' Stefan asked robotically.

'He already admitted that he feels something for me. Why else would you think he would kiss me, Stefan?' Caroline's tone was irritated. The notion in his tone that Klaus was unable to feel anything annoyed her for some reason.

'And you believe him?' Stefan said, robotically still.

'I think I do, Stefan' Caroline snapped

'Well, Caroline I'm sorry if I can't believe you because he's a goddamn serial killer' Stefan snapped back

'I thought you were going to be there for me, not scold me and push me away' she retorted

_Seriously, Caroline, you're turning into a terrible person _

'I know what I said Caroline, but you cannot expect me to remotely trust the guy. I don't know how you can trust him' his tone was still sharp a bit.

'I am not asking you to trust him; I'm asking you to trust me when I say that Klaus truly feels something for me. I can see it, Stefan, I just can' Caroline tried to keep her tone even, which worked for the most part.

'I just can't get over the fact that it's Klaus we're talking about, that's all' Stefan said, slightly softer.

'I know. But I am already freaking out in here, and I would really appreciate some support.' Caroline told him

'Support so you can get on with this, or get over this?' Stefan asked hesitantly

Caroline licked her lip, unsure if she could volunteer the truthful answer. The truth was Caroline would cringe at the mere notion of her life without Klaus, which was more than a little terrifying. However, she couldn't quite see what their future would be.

'Caroline' Stefan urged her

'I don't know' she muttered slowly.

Stefan sighed, and it was not until a few moments of silence passed that he replied 'Well, either ways, I'm not leaving you alone in it'

Caroline smiled hugely again 'Thank you, Stefan, you really are the best'

'I just wanna help, Care' he replied softly

'I know' she said softly, truly appreciating his effort 'Now I gotta go. He's probably waiting for me already'

'OK. Take care of yourself, Care' he reluctantly said.

'I will. Give my best to Elena'

* * *

But Klaus was not downstairs when Caroline got there. She wandered around the foyer before Jack appeared with a huge grin on his face.

'Miss Forbes' he said cheerfully 'Mr. Mikealson said you should wait for him outside'

'OK' Caroline shrugged.

The weather was terrific outside, and not yet touched by any tiresome change. Caroline inhaled deeply, allowing the freshness of the cooling air to enter her lungs. And as she stood there, her mind wandered back to where she had been trying to force it out but failed, back to the kiss she had just shared with Klaus, back to the passion that stormed throw her that moment. She shifted her weight, sighing. Her thoughts and actions were dragging her towards a place she might not be able to get herself out of. What if Stefan was right? What if Klaus was truly after something? It just didn't make sense to her that a one thousand years old vampire would be interested in her, girly little Caroline. Especially someone like Klaus, who had seen hundreds of women, who can get whoever he wanted, not only by compulsion, but with the mere use of his charm that was enough to make Caroline go from completely hating his guts to falling in love with him in a matter of ten days.

Her hearing pulled her out of her thoughts when it registered a familiar sound. Caroline tried to remember to what it belonged, but couldn't quite place it. It was not until the sound got incredibly close that she was able to recognize its owner and her eyes widened in excitement. Turning rapidly to her left, Caroline's eyes landed on Klaus's figure, riding a black horse. The horse was running towards her and Klaus had a huge grin across his face. She stood still nervously, unable to determine neither her next movement nor his. In the brief moments that it took Klaus to arrive to where she stood Caroline's attention seemed to be glued to the rider rather than the horse. She couldn't determine whether it was the horse that made Klaus look even more handsome or if it was the other was around. The graceful posture Klaus's body held made looking anywhere that wasn't him impossible.

'Give me your hand, my lady' Klaus yelled as he almost reached Caroline, extending a hand towards her. Caroline's hand instinctively followed his order.

_Gosh, Stefan is right! He can make you do whatever he wants you to do by simply smiling at you_

_Shut up already! It's just a reflex. _

Klaus did not bother to stop, instead his hand snatched Caroline's and somehow, in a very swift movement, he managed to pull her into a comfortable position behind him.

'Hold on tight, Miss Forbes. I will never forgive myself if I hurt you' he ordered, his tone playfully firm.

Caroline giggled nervously at the unexpected move that left her a little shaky still as she complied and tightened her grip around his waist. At that, Klaus urged the horse to go faster, and the speed made Caroline gasp involuntarily. She buried her head in his shoulder, inhaling his scent. The only thing that she could think of was how much she never wanted to let go.

* * *

**So it finally happened! They kissed! I know I could be such a tease, because I just love being mean :D**

**Please review :)  
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**Bye, see you :D  
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	17. Chances

**Hello everyone! First of all thank you so much for all the support on the last chapter :D It really means a lot to me. Second of all, I really hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.  
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**Other than that, happy readings :D**

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**17: Chances **

Caroline had to get her hormones on a leash, she had to get a grip on herself and stay focused and in control. Or that was what she kept telling herself. Such thoughts evaporated into nothing but distant memories as Caroline's body seemed to brush against Klaus's in every movement and as she tightened her grip even more around his waist, her breath quickening uncontrollably when his intoxicating, inviting, manly scent surrounded her senses. She involuntarily closed her eyes, savoring the warm feeling his body offered as they rode on towards a destination she could not bring herself to care about. It had finally come to her attention that anywhere with Klaus would be heaven.

Klaus pulled the horse into a stop, jerking Caroline's mind out of its musings. She reluctantly let go of him and he gracefully hopped down of the horse, leaving Caroline immediately feeling so cold. For some absurd reason Klaus was smirking at Caroline devilishly as he looked her over. Just like Stefan said, Caroline was far too easy to read for Klaus knew that she had developed violent feelings towards him, just like he had.

Klaus gulped down at his own thought, gritting his teeth slightly

'Umm… Niklaus' Caroline started shakily 'Do you mind helping me down?'

The height was far more than Caroline expected, something that made her feel slightly uncomfortable

'You can get down on your own, love' Klaus raised an eyebrow at her.

'No, I can't' she smiled shakily. A small yelp escaping her as the horse started to lazily move in repetitive order.

Klaus chuckled 'you're a vampire, Caroline, what's the worst that can happen?' he teased

'Klaus just help me down already!' She hissed.

'You know I just noticed that you only call me Klaus when you're mad at me' he said between chuckles

That basically was because the name "Klaus" was associated to something bad, so it felt like she was insulting him when she called him Klaus

'Yay you for making such an accurate observation!' Caroline growled 'Now help me down!'

'So you're not up for an adventure?' Klaus smirked

'Just help me down' she snapped

'Alright' he rolled his eyes 'But just so you know you won't be able to learn horse riding if you're not willing to take a risk' he said, casually approaching her.

'Just so you know, I don't think that scaring your student off is the best teaching method' she whined

He extended a hand towards her, and she took it immediately. Their fingers intertwined which made Caroline feel safe again for some reason that she did not want to think of. His other hand rested delicately on her waist as her own rested on his shoulder. Gently and very carefully he set her down, helping her steady her footing.

'Sometimes danger is the best teaching method, Sweet Caroline' Klaus whispered deviously, cornering Caroline between himself and the horse. His sweet breath tickled her face, sending shivers down her spine. Caroline gulped down, fighting hard to breathe steadily when Klaus leaned in and whispered near her ear 'Sometimes you have to lose control, so you can just live, love'

He lingered there for a minute, his face scratching Caroline's, making her breathing exhilarate in a way she had never experienced, an overwhelming sensation spreading through her that she had to dig her nails deeply in her palms to be able to stop herself from trailing her hands down his perfect torso. Slowly, he backed down, and brought a hand up to her face. Very softly he traced the strands of blonde hair on the side of her face. Klaus sighed, his eyes meeting hers. The gleam in his blue eyes was like something Caroline had never seen before. His eyes were the lightest shade of blue, his gaze was the softest of all, his face uttered nothing but tenderness and (dared she say) love. Something that made Caroline's heart melt. It took all Caroline's resistance to stop herself from saying the three words that were suddenly all her mind could think of.

'Allow me to apologize, Miss Forbes, if I had scared you' he murmured huskily, his fingers grazing her skin sweetly and leaning in even more, their lips mere inches.

Before Caroline could even think of her next movement it happened. She closed the gap between their lips, savoring the sweet taste of his mouth on hers. She wrapped her hands around his neck, pulling him closer. His response was immediate to her every move, he wrapped his hands around her waist, holding her nearer to him. This was different than the first kiss that was less than three hours before. Passion filled them as they consumed each other. Their breathing was rapid and every thought of anything or anyone faded as they only became aware of each other, of their glued lips, of their burning touch, of the pure perfection of the moment.

Caroline lost all sense of time or place as her hand climbed from his neck to get lost in his hair. His hands caressed her back, igniting a fire inside of her that made her want him no matter. Had her heart been beating, it would have been so rapid; Klaus's heart beats would have been running wild. She awakened feelings inside of him that he had long since forgotten, that he thought he would never retrieve. Senses that had died along with the lost thought of his humanity were aroused, spreading warmth through his entire being. Her presence enveloping him with light that almost blinded him, light that he was too afraid to acknowledge its presence that it might disappear. And at that notion, he tightened his grip around her, kissing her fiercely as though she would disappear if he would let go. Caroline, too, held on to him like he was the every reason of her existence. She pulled at his hair, bringing him closer, exploring his mouth, and whenever he remotely started to break the kiss, she'd pull him closer, as though that was possible. She was too afraid to lose the moment, too afraid that its perfection was nothing but a fragment of her imagination that would disappear as soon as she let go of him. As though letting go of him meant the end of everything.

When the kiss inevitably broke, they were both breathing hard. Their foreheads were pressed together, her hands were placed on his chest delicately, his hands still wrapped around her waist, keeping her close to him, and they did nothing but gaze at each other, taking in every single expression. Caroline had contemplated Klaus's handsomeness many a times, but that moment was different, looking at him felt different. It gave her dead heart a jump, and sent waves of electric shocks through her. It poured warmth and giddiness that travelled to every part of her body, and awakened all her senses. It felt like looking at him for the first time, it felt like looking at the man she loved. Caroline clutched his shirt tightly at that thought, maintaining all physical contact, the thought of him disappearing frightening her, like if he would go he'd be leaving her alone in endless darkness, cold, fragile, and alone, longing to no one and nothing but him. It shocked her how suddenly he became a very important part of her life; how he became the most important part of her life.

'What have you done to me, Caroline Forbes?' Klaus murmured, a slight smile playing at the corners of his lips.

Caroline smiled shakily at him, her thoughts running wild. One thing that her mind was screaming stood out, though

_Don't you ever leave me, Niklaus._

* * *

The place Klaus had chosen was absolutely beautiful. It was a part of his property. The brightest shades of green surrounded a lake where they sat near it, doing nothing but enjoying the presence of each other. Caroline could not notice its mesmerizing beauty until Klaus jerked away from her, and allowed her steady herself. It was then that her eyes could acknowledge any perfection other than him. After a while Klaus extracted his sketching pad, and softly asked Caroline to position herself under a tree so he would sketch her. She smiled joyously at him and did as she was asked.

Caroline was absorbed in watching him as he sketched. This time was different than the first time she had sneaked to see him in motion. She could perfectly see his posture and every expression on his face. He was focused, his eyes ever so slightly averting their gaze from the sheet of parchment to look at Caroline. She noticed everything, from the pose his body held, to the graceful way his hands moved on the paper, to the way his eyes seemed to change to all shades of blue from one second to another.

The drawing was, as expected, very breathtaking. Caroline couldn't believe that Klaus saw her that beautiful. Her features seemed to be radiant, full of life. Light seemed to be surrounding her. But Caroline refused to believe that she was that beautiful.

'Are you sure you were drawing me not someone from your wild imagination?' Caroline squinted at him

Klaus chuckled, shaking his head slightly 'Why can't you believe that you're the most beautiful creature I have ever seen. This poor excuse of a drawing hardly do you justice, love' He smiled sweetly at her.

Caroline rolled her eyes, but couldn't help the smile 'I'm keeping this'

'It's all yours, love, I've got plenty other drawings of you' he wiggled his eyebrows playfully.

'Can I see them?' she asked eagerly

'No' he said immediately and laughed when her face turned into a sad grimace.

'But seriously, don't you get bored of seeing me all day? How can you draw me, too?' she asked casually.

'That's impossible, love' he said simply 'I can never ever get bored of you' his blue eyes burned with that fierce gaze that lingered on her features

'You're so cheesy' she mumbled, blushing.

A moment of silence passed as Caroline sat cross legged next to where he was lounging casually on the grass and stared at the drawing in her hands. Noting how he was staring at her intently, she gave him a quizzical glance.

'How come you never talk to me about your life as a human?' he asked immediately in answer to her silent question.

'Well, you never talk to me about yours so…' she answered her, irritation slightly surfacing in her voice.

'I've lived for a thousand years as a vampire, Caroline, my human life is nothing compared to that. You, however, lived as a human for almost your whole life' he reasoned.

'That's no excuse!' Caroline protested fiercely 'You must have had tons of memories in your childhood and teen years, but you don't talk about them. Hell, you barely talk about your life as a vampire' saying that gave Caroline a flush of heated rage that she could not control. She crossed her arms across her chest tightly, wearing a frown involuntarily.

'I did tell you that I started drawing at the age of ten' Klaus joked trying to lighten her mood. But she gave a side glare that made him sigh heavily.

A few moments of silence before Caroline's face lit up, Klaus raised an eyebrow at her questioningly

'I'll tell you something about my human life if you tell me something about yours' she smiled hugely.

Klaus chuckled, but it came out rather nervous 'Alright' he nodded.

'Great' she grinned although she was just as uncomfortable talking about her human life as he was. Her life as a human was not something she was particularly proud of and she was afraid that if she talked about it to Klaus the fact that she was nothing but a teenager, a shallow, silly teenager, would hit him and he would just give up on everything. The thought was more than a little frightening right now because (really isn't it obvious why?) she was falling for him and couldn't stand the thought of her life without him.

_You seriously need a slap across your face. _

'So what do you want to know?' she tried to say evenly and it thankfully passed.

'Everything' he said simply.

'Umm' she bit her lip thoughtfully, recalling all the not-so-great facts. Inhaling deeply, she answered with her eyes wandering everywhere, which was not him, without actually looking 'I've lived my entire life in Mystic Falls. I've never known or seen anything else, never pictured my life outside it. I'm a lonely child, but it never bothered me but it didn't matter because I've always had a wide range of friendships and I thought that we were a happy family until my parents got divorced when I was ten and I found myself wishing that I had siblings. No one could really understand what it was like, and I had no one I could talk to. It wasn't a great experience. In fact the day they told me about it was just about as bad as the one I got turned into a vampire' Caroline could think of another bad, or rather catastrophic day, when her father tortured her, but she could not really talk about that or the death of her father. Those two things she thought she'll never be able to talk about 'But I got over it' she continued, shrugging off her thoughts 'I've always been on better terms with my dad than my mom. Actually, my relationship with my mother was only changed when she found out I was a vampire. Other than that, my life had been nothing but ordinary. I was Caroline Forbes, the cheerleader and Miss Mystic Falls, who no one really took seriously. I was nothing but an ordinary teenager' she summed up; chuckling nervously when her eyes met the intent gaze he was giving her. His silence gave her an unnerving feeling that was turning into panicking. Her mind started to run wild over what he could possibly be thinking of, and what if he just realized that she was no one compared to him.

'You know, Caroline' he started casually, unlocking his gaze from her face

_You know, Caroline, you're too stupid and too shallow and too young for me. I am sorry but you are not worth it._ Her mind concluded and Caroline winced.

'During the thousand years I've lived' he continued 'I have learned that people can be very stupid. I do not know who it was that convinced you that you were ordinary, love, but nothing about you is ordinary. I don't know how no one ever noticed that'

'Right' Caroline said sarcastically, a hint of bitterness in her voice 'I'm that special that Damon decided to abuse and use me like his own toy that he could play with and toss around first thing when he arrived into town' the words left her mouth before she could stop them. She softly gasped, clasping her lips tight. If only words could be taken back.

Klaus's relaxed posture stiffened immediately. She watched as his eyes seemed to turn to a darker shade of blue, his jaw clenched and his breathing seemed to go faster 'he did what?' he hissed through gritted teeth.

'Nothing' was her feeble reply when she couldn't find anything else to say.

'Are you telling me that Damon Salvatore abused you, Caroline?' he thundered.

'It was a really long time ago, Niklaus, it doesn't really matter' she said shakily

'How does it not matter?! You're telling me that that pathetic excuse of a man abused _you, _Caroline' seeming unable to control his anger, Klaus shot up to his feet and started pacing back and forth

_Great, Caroline, as if Klaus doesn't hate Damon enough! _

'Damon Salvatore seems to be begging for his demise' he muttered under his breath.

'Oh cut the crap' Caroline said, evidently upset. Klaus stopped dead in his tracks, turning around slowly to face her with a mixture of anger and confusion on his face 'As if you wouldn't have done the same thing. As if you don't do the same thing' she snapped.

His expression turned into pure shock at her words 'You think I'd do such a thing?' he asked robotically

'I don't think, I _know_' Caroline spat, rising to her feet, too

'You don't know the first thing about me' he said through gritted teeth, balling his fists.

'Yeah, thanks to you!' she said sarcastically.

'Here we go again with this' he huffed in frustration raising his hand in the air 'That's all you can think about! You think that if I don't talk to you about my past you'll never understand me or know me? That's absurd, Caroline!'

'No it's not!' she barked 'It's not just your past, you don't tell me what you're thinking, you don't tell me how you're feelings, you dodge my questions whenever they get personal and don't open up to me. Of course, I wouldn't know the real you! And then you go and kiss me like it's the most normal thing in the world. You manipulate me just like Damon did! You only want to screw me and have fun with me for a while then you'll go on your own way, just like Damon did!' Caroline did not exactly mean to throw her last accusation, it was harsh and she knew it, but the fact that he had kissed her without any real vision of their future together or what he really wanted from her bothered her a lot. A part of her mind had begun to think that he only wanted to have his way with her, and just the mere thought made her stomach turn.

Klaus's face turned from pure shock to rage to fury. He stepped towards her and gripped her shoulders hard 'Is that what you think? Is that what you truly believe? That I am using you like Damon Salvatore did?'

'Yes!' she snapped, trying to shake his hands off but failing 'Isn't it obvious? That seems to be your sole purpose of this damned trip! Whenever I get a slight insight to yourself you slam the door shut in my face then you kiss me'

'You're just as guilty in that as I am, love. It's not like you did not enjoy the kisses we've shared. And if that was my sole purpose, Caroline, I would have taken you to my bed that night at The Ritz, it wouldn't have been hard.' Klaus said through gritted teeth

'And I wish you did! At least I wouldn't be more confused than I have ever been' she growled

'If that's what you really want, love'

He pressed his lips to hers hungrily, urgently, unleashing all the passion he had been holding back, and pressing his body against hers. Caroline immediately melted against him, cursing her body for reacting to him so much. His hands roamed over her body impatiently and Caroline's hands got lost in his hair, pulling him closer to her. His lips left hers and wandered to her jawline, down to her neck, her scent flaring a fire inside of him to the point that he was ready to have his way with her right there, right then. Caroline moaned as his kisses heated up, her own body wanting him more than anything.

_No, no_, her mind kept shouting, but the echo of its voice seemed to vanish before she could even process it.

They fell on the grass, Klaus on top of her. She pulled his face back to hers, hungry for his lips.

_No, no! _

His hands sneaked up her shirt, tracing circles on her stomach, lingering there before they rested on her breasts softly. Caroline moaned into the kiss

_No, no! _

He caught the rim of her shirt, slowly bringing it up.

_No, no! _

She broke the kiss quickly, snapping 'Stop!'

Klaus moved away ever so slightly. They were both panting as they stared at each other absorbedly. Just like Caroline, Klaus seemed a little shocked by what had just happened.

'You can't do this again' she said breathlessly.

Slowly, he rolled off of her, landing on his back. He shut his eyes tight, trying to steady his breathing

'You can't do this again and expect me to believe that you're not manipulating my feelings' she said a little more steadily, but not as firmly as she hoped.

Klaus propped himself on his elbows 'Are you saying that you have feelings for me, Caroline?' he asked softly, still breathless a little

'Like you don't know' she rolled her eyes, standing up and rearranging the mess of her hair and clothing.

'You're right' Klaus muttered, causing her to stop everything she was doing and stare at him wide-eyed 'What I'm doing isn't fair and I'm sorry'

A moment of silence passed as he, too, rose to his feet and came closer to her, but not without keeping a considerable distance between them.

'I'm sorry, Caroline, but it's not easy for me to do what you're asking me to' he said, almost shyly, averting his gaze from hers.

'And you think it's easy for me?' Caroline replied evenly 'You think it's easy for me that I am opening up to the person who less than two weeks ago I was celebrating what I thought to be the end of him? You think it's easy for me to admit that I have feelings for you? You've made my friends and I go through hell and back, then before I know, you became an important part of my life' Caroline bit her lip, wishing for the second time that day that she could unsay what she had just uttered.

Klaus's features softened. For once, he seemed to be at complete loss of what to say.

'I'm just asking you to try, Niklaus. Just try' she whispered stepping closer to him and placing a hand on his perfect chest 'I'm confused, and I don't know where we are going, but I know that I want you to try. Please do it for me' tears pooled in her eyes. The sane part of her mind was scolding her for opening up to Klaus so much, for revealing herself to him. It felt like literally handing him herself. He could crush her; he could destroy her, something that scared her. However, the fright of that was nothing compared to the fright that the mere thought of losing him caused.

'Does it really matter to you, Caroline? Are you really willing to give me a chance?' he asked gently, his expression baffled. It was almost like he couldn't believe his ears. The conversation seemed so surreal, so dreamlike that he was unsure what to make of it. He placed a hand over hers to make sure that he was not dreaming

'Yes' she replied firmly 'I am willing to give you a chance if you are willing to give me a chance' she dropped her gaze to her feet, too afraid to lift her eyes to his face. She didn't see his face turning from its baffled expression to a satisfied smirk.

Sweetly, he wrapped his arms around her, sighing with relief. Caroline closed her eyes, savoring the warmth of his embrace, and the safety it gave her. He planted a gentle kiss on her hair when she wrapped her arms around his waist tightly.

'I will try, love' he whispered soothingly 'I will give it my best shot. I want to give us a chance'

His feelings overwhelmed him. All he could do was take a deep breath, hold Caroline tighter, try to even his breathing and attempt to stop his mind from thinking about how much he never wanted to let go.

Caroline smiled radiantly, burying her face in his chest.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Please review :D I'm gonna make a wild wish and hope that you awesome people can get me to 160 reviews with this one? Make a girl's life complete? **

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	18. Don't Let the Music Die

**Hello folks! A new chapter :D I really really wanted to thank you for the AMAZING response on the last chapter :D You guys made my wish come true with five bonus reviews! Truly, you're the best! And your response made the whole writing process of this one go faster :D  
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**Happy READING (NOT ENDING ;D)!**

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**18: Don't Let the Music Die**

It was heaven. The week that followed their last encounter was nothing but heaven. Never mind the lack of physical contact that was driving Caroline crazy, it was heaven.

True, they stuck to the simple fun things about each other for the most part and Caroline was yet to hear about his past, but it got gradually easier to talk to Klaus about himself. He seemed to be more relaxed around her. The usual tension that used to take place between them whenever she ventured a question about him was no longer apparent. She took it easy, slowly, waiting for him to volunteer information about himself instead of interrogating. They went according to his own pace; she wanted him to open up to her without fearing anything. And, more than anything, he appreciated that.

He didn't kiss her again. He didn't kiss her again and it felt all kinds of wrong to not be kissed by him. He held her hand as they walked, caressed her hair, wrapped his arms around her, but never kissed her. She constantly wondered what it would feel like to spend a night in his arms, to have his skin against hers, his body pressed to hers. Heavenly, she was sure it would feel, if kissing him left her dazzled and breathless, a night in his arms ought to drive her insane.

Although Caroline wanted him to kiss her so much, although Caroline wanted him more than anything, she could not deny that his gesture was rather decent and that she was very much grateful. She did not want to be any more confused and she knew that he did not want to send wrong signals. It was a perfect way to test their feelings towards each other. And by the time a week had passed, Caroline knew, for sure, that she wanted Klaus, that she wanted him and no one else. Her love seemed to maximize by the hour, if not by the second. The poetic, seductive allure around him drew her in so much, until he seemed to be her own magnetic field. His charm seemed to dazzle her, stopping all reason her mind could ever form, blurring her vision until no one and nothing existed but him. Caroline did not know why her feelings were so violent towards him, she could not wrap her mind around it, or figure it out, she only knew the simple fact that he had turned her life upside down. She only knew that he changed her life forever. She only knew that she loved him more than she had ever loved anyone, possibly more than she would love anyone. She only knew that he was the only one who was able to change the colors of her life, from their seemingly bright colors to the brightest and most beautifully interesting of shades. She only knew that she could not live without him. Not now… Not ever.

* * *

'Niklaus' Caroline called after him as she stepped into his drawing room where he spent most of his time if they were not together. He was standing by the window with a large sheet of paper in front of him. Caroline could not see the painting, for Klaus was facing her and the painting's back was facing Caroline. It had been a very nice day, as usual. He had taken her to historical sites around Scotland and they spent their time talking and laughing as they walked around hand in hand.

'Can you smile for me, love?' he asked casually

'Uh-OK' she muttered frowning

'I said smile Caroline, not frown' he chuckled

'Sorry' she shook her head slightly. After a minute, her expression changed from its surprised mask into her radiant smile.

Klaus frowned slightly. He backed away from the painting, examining it intently, and alternating his gaze between Caroline's face and the painting. A few minutes of contemplating her smile was enough to give him the inspiration he needed. He smiled slightly, stepping back towards his painting.

'Thank you, love, that's been of a great help' he smiled briefly at her before returning to his work.

'Anytime' she shrugged 'Can I see what you are painting?' she asked eagerly

'No' he answered absently, but firmly 'You will see it once it's done' he continued.

But Caroline was not interested in what he was painting anymore. Her eyes caught the old painting that he had been working on in The Ritz, the one she was not a fan of, except it had changed drastically. There was a gleam of light; a very small crack in the darkness of the painting that light had seeped in through it. It was small, almost too narrow and too small, but it was there, making Caroline softly gasp, her eyes forming tears of delight. It was there and she could clearly see it and it gave her dead heart a jump and spread joy through her entire body. It was there and it meant the world to her, just like it meant the world to Klaus to feel that it should be painted. Her legs dragged her towards it absently, a smile occupying her face as she continued to stare at it. She wanted to run her fingers on the streaks of colors but was too afraid to touch it that she might ruin it.

'Can I ask you something?' Caroline's voice was rather dazed; her eyes were still forming tears.

Klaus lifted his gaze to meet Caroline's figure standing next to his painting. He swallowed loudly 'Anything, love' he whispered

'I want you to play the violin for me' she said hesitantly, finally turning to meet his well-hiding neutral expression.

Klaus licked his lips, dodging her eyes as Caroline held her breath. Knowing small things about him like his favorite movie or color or book or most favorite sibling was easy, nice, fun, but she had to take it to the next level. And something told her that watching Klaus play the violin was as special and personal as watching him paint.

'Only if you sing for me' he teased, hiding his distress. What she was asking from him was more than a little difficult to do. Klaus felt vulnerable and exposed while playing the violin. He could not exactly control his feelings; everything seemed to pour out without him intending to. It would feel like opening himself up to Caroline to the point of allowing her to hurt him. But for some reason he wanted to share this moment with Caroline. For some reason he felt like this would be a step that inevitably came. They could keep dancing around the serious subjects for as much as they wanted but without any serious progress. He also knew that this meant a lot to Caroline and if he truly wanted her, he'd have to go through it.

Caroline smiled widely, nodding urgently.

'Alright then, Miss Forbes' Klaus grinned although he did not exactly feel like it. Nonetheless it was quite convincing. And Caroline just had to grin back.

* * *

Minutes passed as Klaus stood still like a marble statue, staring at his violin absently. She did not know what it was that ailed his mind so much, but it did not look the least bit joyous. Swallowing a rising lump in her throat, she shifted in her seat, as though that would make the situation any less unnerving.

In order to distract herself, she glued her eyes to Klaus's standing figure, slowly contemplating the frozen position it held. Her eyes roamed over his still posture, until they reached his face and she had to bite her lip to stop from gasping. His eyes were shut, every muscle of his face was soft, making him look so human that no trace of the serial killer was evident; no trace of Klaus could be seen. He was only Niklaus as he slowly brought up the violin and tucked it between his chin and shoulder. He was only Niklaus as he started playing music softly; stroking the violin so gently as though it would break in any second now.

But it wasn't the violin that was about to break. As the saddest of all music invaded the room around them, Klaus's face started cringing. The neutral mask he usually wore shattered into million pieces, leaving his emotions bare and exposed to Caroline. Nothing could be heard but the sad, tear-jerking music that Klaus played as Caroline held her breath from her comfortable position on the couch that seemed to be gradually driving her edgy. Her muscles tensed as tears started streaming down her face. It wasn't only the music that made her sob uncontrollably, but also Klaus's face as it contorted with pain. It seemed like a sea of hidden emotions suddenly surfaced, attacking every nerve in his body, every space in his heart, occupying every part of his brain. This was nothing like watching him paint; Klaus seemed to absolutely lose control of himself as the music drifted from his thoughts, expressing all the hidden feelings he had kept buried beneath, piling dust on top of them that no one seemed to be able to reach them, not even he, himself. He couldn't stop the flood now that washed away all masks, that shattered all defenses and left him helpless, surrendering, vulnerable, shivering with cold, yearning for a loving touch that would wash away his misery, a touch that would end his loneliness even if it was for the briefest of seconds. He wanted to feel alive again. He wanted to feel loved again. He wanted to feel warm again. He didn't even know if there was an "again" there, for it seemed that he had experienced no such a thing during the thousand years he had lived. And instead of searching for love, he ran around killing people, hiding himself behind vacant cruelty that was never truly what defined him.

A shudder ran down Caroline's spine. She kept her gaze fixated on Klaus's face, fascinated by how easy it was to read his thoughts by simply watching his heartbreaking expressions, but surprised how much she wished she could not see exactly what he felt, because it broke her heart into million pieces. Pain seemed to overtake her own senses at the mere sight of his agony. The anguished expression he held, told countless stories of loneliness and heartache, a one thousand years' worth of torturing storytelling. Caroline wanted to do something, anything that would take his torment away, but found herself helpless. She could do nothing but cry inconsolably as his own tears drowned him. Klaus lost himself in the moment that he could not stop playing the music despite the heart-wrenching feeling that crippled his senses. He could not find a way to stop the feeling from pouring and no longer cared that Caroline was watching. In fact a very distant, very small part of his mind was glad that she was there with him, witnessing that moment. That part longed for the comfort she could offer, for the warmth she could provide. But Klaus kept pushing it away, pushing it harshly to the very back of his mind.

The music stopped, leaving nothing but deafening silence behind it and the sound of hearts breaking. It took more than several moments for Caroline to collect herself and rise to her feet. Slowly, she approached Niklaus. He was no one but Niklaus as she stood in front of him, cradling his face in her hands. He was no one but Niklaus as she tenderly whipped his tears away. He was no one but Niklaus as she wrapped her arms around his neck tightly, pulling him into a tranquilizing embrace that he needed nothing more than it. He was no one but Niklaus as he, too, slowly wrapped his arms around Caroline's waist, burying his head in her shoulder. He sighed ruefully. There was warmth spreading through him, warmth that he had not experienced during his thousand years ever before as Caroline did nothing but held him tightly, stroking his hair tenderly. Klaus was forgotten that moment. He lost himself, feeling completely human in her arms, being no one and nothing but the lonely human that had long since forgotten how to feel. The lonely, helpless human that wanted to feel nothing but her arms wrapped around him, and her soothing breath tickling his neck.

'It's beautiful' Carline managed to choke out through her tears 'It's so, so beautiful' she breathed, pulling him closer, as if it was possible.

They stayed like that, holding each other for a while that neither of them cared about its length. They reluctantly broke the hug, staying close to each other. Caroline's hands were caressing Klaus's face soothingly, as his were still wrapped around his waist. Caroline gazed intently into his sad blue eyes, caressing his face still, trying with all her strength to wipe his anguish away.

'Thank you for sharing this with me' she said softly, her own eyes still forming tears. Klaus tightened his grip around her seeking comfort in her touch. Slowly, Caroline leaned in, pressing her lips to his tenderly, so very tenderly that Klaus was not sure it happened, until she slightly deepened it. Before he could even begin to respond properly she broke the kiss lowering her gaze, embarrassed of what she had just done. She clung to his shirt as his hands travelled from her waist to hold her face in his hands. Lifting her face to his again, he continued what she started, pressing his lips to hers. So very gentle he was at first, but the kiss deepened gradually, his need for her increasing by the second. The whole world stopped spinning as they held each other in the most passionate embrace. Nothing else mattered but their intertwined lips and their mixed breaths, setting flame in each other. A flame that burned slowly, gradually consuming them, melting their hearts with need that neither of them had ever experienced before. The need was not a mere physical one, their need was emotional, need for each other's presence, for each other's comfort, for each other's love. Caroline moaned, knowing that this kiss was like no other. They melted into each other, until time stopped and lost all its meaning, until the earth stopped spinning, until nothing else existed, only them and their burning passion. Klaus's hands travelled from Caroline's neck down to her sides, resting on her hips, caressing her as he went along. She pulled him closer, her hand stroking his neck and reaching under the collar of his shirt. He groaned at the feeling of her touch, and pressed his body against hers even more.

He broke the kiss, taking his time to gaze into Caroline's beautiful eyes, as she, too, lost herself in the blue ocean that stared back at her lovingly. Unable to stop herself, she crashed her lips onto his again with much more force and much more passion than before. She wasn't holding anything back anymore. She wanted him right then and cared about nothing else. It didn't matter whether it would lead to anything after that, it didn't matter if he would decide to be with her afterwards or not, it didn't matter whether it would feel wrong or right in the morning. Nothing mattered but the fact that she wanted him. Sensing her urgency, Klaus held back no more, either. He lifted her from the ground and she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist. Without breaking the kiss, he carried her to the sofa. He pinned her down, tracing a hot line of kisses from her jawline down to her neck, to her collar bone while her hands sneaked under his shirt, tracing the perfect lines of his abs, her breathing becoming erratic by the second. He slowly started unbuttoning her shirt

'Oh Caroline' he half-whispered, half-moaned, as her sweet scent invaded his senses, and Caroline shivered at the feeling of his fingers grazing her almost-bare chest. He kissed her bare shoulder, removing the strap of her bra, and tracing its trail with his lips.

'Nik' she breathed, her hands tugging at his hair.

He kissed his way back to her lips, leaving flames behind him as he went along. Kissing Caroline felt like heaven, too perfect, too fulfilling to be called anything else. Touching her seemed to be the very reason of his existence. Everything seemed to fall into place that moment. Nothing but her name occupied his mind, nothing but her scent occupied his senses. It felt like kissing the woman he loved.

Suddenly, he froze, stopping everything he was doing. He jerked away with a sudden movement.

'I can't do this' he muttered.

Caroline's mind was foggy, her breathing uneven that she did not exactly know what he was talking about or what to make of it. The only thing that she wanted to do right then was to pull him back to her and kiss him, feel his touch on her skin again.

'I can't do this' He said more clearly, moving away completely that he was standing several feet away from the couch.

'What? What's wrong?' she asked breathlessly, staring at him wide-eyed, as he paced the room back and forth.

'I can't do this' he scowled

Caroline straightened her position on the couch, catching her breath 'I don't understand. You can't do what?'

'This' he said, gesturing between the two of them

'What do you mean?' She whispered, her heart suddenly clenching in her chest.

'I mean that this is not going to work. I'm sorry' he said quickly, and annoyingly neutrally, stepping out of the room and down the corridor.

Still baffled a little, Caroline rose to her feet, buttoning her shirt and running after him.

'What do you mean?' she shouted after him 'You can't have sex with me?'

He did not answer, but fastened his pace to what Caroline suspected would be the drawing room.

'Hey' she called after him, slightly outraged 'Hey' she said again, catching up to him and grabbing his elbow 'That's it? You're just gonna quit? You're just gonna walk away from everything?' she yelled, on the verge of tears

'Yes' he said coldly shaking off her hand

'Oh my God' Caroline chuckled sarcastically to stop herself from crying 'That's it? Without an explanation even? You promised that you would try'

'I don't want to be with you, Caroline, it's that simple. There's no explanation to be made, and no attempts in the first place' his voice was tauntingly careless, his expression so hard that it was almost impossible he'd be the same person who was kissing her a few moments before.

'I don't believe you' she spat, surprised that she managed to keep her tears in control still 'I think you care too much but don't want to admit it because you're too goddamn scared' she stepped closer to him, her features slightly softening 'And it's OK to be sacred' she added gently 'But I promise you that you don't have to be. I want you, Niklaus' her voice dropped to a mere whisper by the end of the sentence.

For a fraction of a second his features changed, and Caroline took that opportunity to hold his face in her hands

'No' he shook his head, grabbing her hands and removing them from his face roughly 'This was not what was supposed to happen' he muttered.

'Niklaus' Caroline started softly, completely confused by his actions.

'Don't call me that' he thundered.

'I don't understand, what is it that I did wrong?' her voice was almost pleading.

'Nothing' he said simply, his face resuming its cold expression 'I just don't want you anymore. I've had my fun and that's it'

'You don't mean that' Caroline whispered desperately, her tears making a long held back appearance

'Oh yes I do' he smirked cruelly at her 'You're free, love, no longer bound by anything to me. So leave'

'No. it can't be true' she shook her head, searching desperately for any signs of Niklaus that she had fell in love with in the matter of two weeks.

'Why are you so distressed, love?' he mused 'You're lucky I cared enough to not take what I want from you before throwing you away. It would have been quite easy' he smirked deviously, brushing her arm with his fingers, and instead of the usual flame his touch used to give her, she was revolted by it. His words cut like knife through her, but instead of hurt, she felt anger and disgust. Klaus's face remained unchanged as tears of anger streamed down her face. Looking at his insolent face made her stomach turn, and without even thinking about her movement, she slapped him, right across his face. It didn't hurt him the least bit, not physically anyway, but a faint sense of relief washed over her.

'You're disgusting' was all she spat before disappearing.

He heard the front door slamming shut before entering the drawing room and closing the door behind him.

He leaned against the door, unable to control the sudden wave of sadness that ran through him.

_It's for the best, Klaus. It's for the best._

* * *

**Thanks for reading :D I know, I KNOW mean ending! I'll try to update as fast as I can. Also, before you say anything, Klaus's action will be explained, not for a while, but you'll find out why. I promise :D  
**

**I'm gonna make another WILD WILD wish, since you guys are so frigging awesome at granting wishes, and hope to reach 200 reviews with this one :D Even ifyou wanna yell at me, I don't mind :P  
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**Love you! Bye, thanks :D  
**


	19. Bloodlust

**FINALLY I FINISHED THIS! I really wanted to update sooner but then I got held back. I'm still in the USA, so I'm still busy with being a tourist so... I'm sorry for the delay :D **

**I really want to thank you guys SO MUCH, for the amazing feedback I got on the last chapter, really you all made my day :D I'm just gonna hope that you'll like this one as much as you liked the one before :D  
**

**Happy reading :D**

* * *

**19: Bloodlust**

The city seemed far darker than usual. The sky wore a black dress, mourning the end of Caroline's relationship with Klaus. There were no stars. The moon hid its face behind endless angry clouds, ready to explode at any given time. Everything seemed to suit the wandering state Caroline had taken. She was stumbling, tripping and falling every two steps. Her vision blurred with tears that did not seem to stop. Her senses were crippled with pain. A staggering pain shot through her entire being every second, recalling his words, the hurtful carelessness in them. The way his face seemed so cold, the way his voice was so cruel, losing all its seductive silkiness.

She was a fool. A fool. How could she think, for one second, that Klaus would ever feel anything for _her_? She was nobody. She was a baby vampire who knew nothing about life. Caroline Forbes was nobody. She stumbled, falling on her knees as a violent sob escaped her. She struggled to stand up, but failed, collapsing to the sidewalk again.

'Are you alright, Miss?' A Scottish man asked her, kneeling down beside her.

'Yes' she sniffed 'I'm OK' but her voice choked with tears.

The man gently grabbed her elbow, helping her up.

'Are you sure you are OK, Miss?' he asked again

'Yes. Yes, thank you'

The man gave her a weary glance before proceeding to his destination, as she slowly started walking again, casting her eyes downwards.

She was lucky, though, that he did not sleep with her before throwing her away. It would have killed her. If the pain of him turning his back on her now, before she had given herself up completely was almost too overwhelming, too crippling to be handled, then it would have surely killed her to be thrown away after he had gotten what he wanted.

The mere notion made Caroline want to vomit. She didn't even know if vampires could vomit, but that's what she felt like, nonetheless.

Instead of pain, instead of bitterness and hurt, anger occupied her thoughts.

_How dare he? That son of a bitch! How dare he do this to me? Do I look like a toy to him? How dare he make me feel like nothing, like no one? _

_You gave him the opportunity, _the rational part of her mind silently pointed out.

_Yes I did. Because I'm stupid, stupid, stupid. _Another sob escaped her, and she had to lean against a wall to stop from collapsing.

There was a bar not too far from where Caroline was standing. It was close that she could smell the liquor and hear the laughter of drunken men from where she stood. She could also hear it calling for her. The only thing that she truly wanted to do was drown in her misery. Without further thinking, Caroline paced towards it.

It was not as crowded as she thought it would be, neither as noisy as she hoped it would be. She thought that the outer sounds would somehow deafen her from hearing her tormenting thoughts. She took a seat in the corner, hiding away from sight and asked for a glass of Vodka.

The first couple of glasses contributed to ease Caroline's misery in almost zero percent. After much pondering she decided to call Stefan. She needed to talk to someone who would not make her feel worst and Stefan just seemed right for the job. Her chest felt like it was about to explode from the building-up mixture of frustration, bitterness, anger, and what little pain she allowed herself to feel. Other than the fact that she needed his comfort, she needed him to help her figure out her next step.

So she called him, doing her best to stop the tears and to sound at least slightly comprehensible.

'Stefan's phone' Damon answered on the first ring 'How can I help you?' he imitated receptionists sarcastically.

'Damon' Caroline muttered under her breath. The last thing she needed was a snarky comment from that asshole of a brother Stefan had 'Where is Stefan?' she snapped

'Wow' Damon started and Caroline rolled her eyes 'Someone is a bad mood'

'Damon just let me talk to Stefan' Caroline huffed

'Sorry. No can do. Stefan is with Elena. He forgot his phone, and something tells me if you call Elena, no one will answer, if you know what I mean' Damon said with his ever-present sarcastic tone

'Oh God' Caroline sighed 'Just let him know that I called'

'What, you can't talk to me? What is it that Stefan can say that I can't?' he offered

'Stefan has feelings, you don't so... I think that says enough' Caroline spat

'Ouch' she just knew that he would be twisting his face with a hurt expression sarcastically 'You really know how to hit a man hard, Blondie'

'Bye, Damon' she started to hang up but his serious voice caught her off guard

'I know what's happening, Barbie'

'What are you talking about?' Caroline's tone was far shakier than she intended

'You know what I'm talking about' he said firmly and somewhat angrily 'I know about this whole you and Klaus thing'

'It's none of your business, Damon' Caroline's voice shook again. Damon took that as a sign of fear while in fact, Caroline was simply on the verge of tears over the reminder that there was no her and Klaus anymore. For all she knew there never was "her and Klaus" in the first place.

'Wrong answer, Blondie' Damon mocked 'Are you really that stupid? Is fooling you really that easy?' he mused 'What the hell are you thinking staying with him and falling in love with him?'

'Damon' Caroline shakily pleaded

'You see I knew it! I knew you couldn't be trusted. I knew you were so stupid and would fall into his trap immediately. So get your ass back to Mystic Falls, because it appears that this little, blonde head you have is incapable of thinking. I can't believe you are stupid enough to think that Klaus can feel anything. What's gotten into you, Blondie?'

'Shut up , Damon' she snapped, then added through gritted teeth 'I don't know who do you think you are to talk to me that way or to think that you know anything in the first place, so just shut up and leave me alone, you asshole. You, of all people, are judging Klaus for what he did to me? As if you hadn't done the exact same thing, no, actually worse! You, of all people, are telling me what to do and where to go? No, Damon! You don't get to do that! And if you have a list of what I should do, you can write it down then shove it up your ass!'

Without giving him a chance to reply this time, Caroline pressed the end button. Her conversation with Damon lead to a new found rage that she did not know whether it was directed towards the asshole of a hybrid she had been falling in love with, towards Damon, or towards herself.

In desperate need for consultation, she dialed Elena's number. As expected, the call was not answered, leaving Caroline even more frustrated. Her eyes caught Bonnie's number and she contemplated the thought for a good one minute before gritting her teeth and shoving her phone back into her pocket, asking for a Tequila shot.

_This is all Bonnie's fault_, her mind suddenly concluded. Come to think of it, if Bonnie had not messed up the spell, Tyler would have been alive and Caroline would not have had to make a deal with Klaus to avoid his wrath. And, most certainly, she wouldn't have fallen in love with him, right? But where did all her feelings towards Tyler go? She had not mourned him remotely as much as she thought she would. He seemed to be forgotten far sooner than Caroline admitted. Would her so-called love towards Tyler have stopped her from falling in love with Klaus? After experiencing such deep feelings towards Klaus, Caroline came to the realization that she had not been in love with Tyler. She loved him, a lot, but she was never in love with him. She was never _in love_ with anybody before Klaus.

It was only then that the mislead anger was finally unleashed. She shouldn't be mad at Bonnie or Damon or even Klaus. Caroline had only herself to blame. She was the one who so foolishly believed that the manipulative Klaus could feel something towards her because she couldn't bear the thought of the other option. She was the one who, despite all warnings, lowered her defenses and let him in. She was the one who allowed herself to be attracted to him. She was the one who so openly admitted her feelings towards him, even though her mind kept telling her that it was stupid. She was the one who followed the idiotic cries of her heart. She was the one who fell in love with him and she had no one else to blame for that.

Her feelings were suddenly too much to handle, turning to an angry need to destroy.

The alcohol was not enough to control the sudden self-destructive urge Caroline had, if anything it had encouraged her seemingly reckless thoughts that were most certainly leading to reckless actions. She stormed out of the bar with a loud bang that several men turned towards her with their eyebrows pulled in an annoyed frown. She roamed the city aimlessly, nothing but the thought of blood on her mind. A sudden need to be destructive, a sudden thirst towards blood was all her mind could think of. The night was getting darker, colder, lonelier. Caroline found herself roaming the most unrecognizable alleys, following nothing but the screaming urge to drink fresh, warm blood.

It was another lonely, dark alley she had entered, in search of anyone who would satisfy her thirst. It didn't matter that she would kill or hurt that someone anymore, those were things she would deal with after it was all over, because then, nothing seemed better than the taste of blood. A group of four young men gathered around her, unaware of the fact that they had stepped into their own demise.

'What a pretty girl we have here' one of them said, approaching her.

'What do you say we do with that fine piece of ass?' another stepped even closer.

'Whatever you want' the third proposed, snatching Caroline's arm.

All Caroline could hear was their hearts pounding blood through their veins. Everything else made no sense. They were talking gibberish. They could not make her do anything she did not want to do.

The third, drunk, young man, pulled Caroline close to him that she was almost pressed against him

'You are wearing way too many layers of clothing' he whispered. And it was only then that a shudder ran down her spine. Well, at least he was going to make the whole guilt issue a lot easier.

Caroline scowled, showing her fangs. The man's face turned into a horrified expression as he gasped. Without hesitation Caroline dug her fangs into his neck, enjoying the taste of his warm, fresh blood. The man screamed in agony, and Caroline could distantly hear his fellows rushing away. Caroline was draining the life out of him and she knew it, but could not stop herself. It had been far too long since she had had fresh blood, far too long since it tasted that good. And for the first time in that evening she felt good. She felt in power. All hint of the sad, vulnerable, helpless, broken-hearted Caroline vanished and it felt magnificent.

A pair of strong hands grabbed her arms, pulling her away from the man whose body fell to the ground. Caught in frenzy, she immediately dug her fangs into the other man's neck. His blood tasted off, though. The taste was somewhat familiar, but not remotely as fulfilling or delicious as a human blood. She dug her fangs deeper; trying to figure out what was so off about it.

'Caroline, love, stop' the man's firm voice told her as he pushed her away from his neck, but keeping hold of her arms.

She found herself staring into a pair of familiar ocean-blue eyes. It was only then that it dawned on her. Klaus's apprehensive face was mere inches from hers. She almost felt guilty that she had hurt him, but remembering what he had done, what he had said only a few hours ago, she snarled at him instead.

'Calm down, sweetheart' he ordered evenly.

'Don't call me that' she hissed. Nonetheless she could feel her fangs retracting 'Why are you here?' she asked through gritted teeth.

'I came to check on you' he said evenly

'As if you care' she scoffed, trying to shake his hands off of her, but failing.

'But I do care, Caroline' he said, dropping his gaze.

'Stop lying to me!' she yelled 'You've done enough, so just leave me alone!' she tried to wriggle herself from his hold again, but he wouldn't let go.

'I'm not letting you go like this' he stated sternly.

'Why is that? Why do you care? It's none of your concern'

'Yes it is' his tone was so firm and calm that it was driving Caroline crazy 'I can't let you turn into something you are not'

'This is who I am! I am a vampire' her voice started breaking 'I'm a monster! I kill people' despite herself, her voice shook.

'No you're not' Klaus said sternly, giving a gentle squeeze to her arm.

'Yes I am! I killed that man' Caroline was hysterically screaming then 'I killed that man, and I bit you!' Now she was biting her tongue for showing how awful she felt for hurting him, even though she knew that it was nothing a mere stinging sensation to Klaus and that his wound had already healed nicely.

Klaus let go of her arms and kneeled down beside the man's body. He listened carefully, until the air carried a faint, weak heartbeat. Instantly, he dug his fangs into his wrist and fed the man his blood.

'He'll be fine' Klaus reassured her.

The man regained consciousness a few seconds later. As soon as his eyes met Caroline's figure, he shrieked. Klaus took hold of his neck and forced him to look at him

'You're going to forget this ever happen. You're going to fall asleep in a dark alley and when you wake up you'll think you were too drunk to remember anything. And now you will run' Klaus compelled him with his menacing voice. The man robotically nodded and as soon as Klaus let go of his neck, he ran as fast as he could.

Klaus watched him as he disappeared behind an old building.

'I almost killed him' she muttered, slightly shocked, causing Klaus's attention to snap back to her immediately

'He's fine, Caroline' Klaus said again, carefully approaching her.

'I almost killed him and you stopped me' she mumbled again, her eyes forming tears.

'It's OK, Caroline, he's not dead' Klaus gently placed his hands on her shoulders.

'I almost killed the man' she almost shouted, her tears finally falling.

'But you didn't' Klaus said firmly.

'Stop saying that I would have killed him if you hadn't stopped me!' she shouted, breaking into a hysterical sob.

'But you didn't, love' Klaus soothingly said, gently whipping away the little blood on the corner of her mouth with his sleeve.

Without even thinking about it, Klaus pulled her into a comforting hug and she buried her face in his chest, soaking his shirt with her tears. Gently, he stroked her hair, whispering 'It's OK' in her ears.

Klaus had never found himself in such a position before. Even with Rebekah he always put an arm's length between himself and her, ever so rarely showing any signs of emotions towards her when she could actually see them. How come this girl managed to make him feel so human again? He had never had such a strong protective instinct towards anyone but himself. His first instinct seemed to be protecting her from everything, even from himself.

He sighed, tightening his grip around her. Carefully, he placed one arm behind her knees; the other still wrapped around her shoulders and lifted her, carrying her bridal style. She didn't protest, but buried her face in his shoulder, clutching his shirt tightly instead. She was supposed to be mad, furious. She was supposed to punch him in the face and call him the most horrible names, but instead, she found herself in extreme need of his comfort. She found herself so grateful that he was there. And she cursed herself for that. It made her feel helpless and vulnerable to know that he had so much power over her. It frightened her that her feelings were so strong towards him that she couldn't hate him.

He carried her back to the castle.

* * *

Caroline was feeling tired and worn out, barely able to keep her eyelids from dropping. Sensing that, Klaus carried her to her own room and gently laid her on the bed. He darted off to the bathroom, washing the dry blood from his neck. A shocking wave of guilt suddenly rushed through him. If he had been late two seconds, Caroline would have killed that man. He would have been the reason behind whatever killings she would have accomplished. He was the one who had hurt her so much with his poisonous words that it stung to the point that she felt she needed to feel in power again. He couldn't believe how easy it was to convince her that he did not care about her at all. Well, it shouldn't be that surprising; he had convinced her of much harder things.

He sighed deeply, stepping out of the bathroom.

_Will you ever forgive me, Caroline? _Klaus hovered beside her bed, watching her still figure.

Caroline's eyes fluttered opened when he was about to leave.

'Don't go' she looked at him pleadingly 'Please stay'

Klaus sighed. It hurt him so much to see Caroline so sad and almost broken. His heart clenched in his chest at the recollection that he had caused it.

The sudden attack of conscience was rather disturbing to him.

'Alright, love' he whispered.

Carefully, he lay beside her on the bed, leaving a considerable distance between the two of them. She turned her whole body to face him as he turned his head to look at her angelic face.

'Thank you' she muttered before closing her eyes and drifting to deep sleep.

Slowly, Klaus turned fully to face her, too. He brought up a hand, removing the strands of blonde hair away from her face. For all he cared, he could spend the rest of forever watching her asleep. Nothing seemed more compelling or absorbing than the sight of her peacefulness. Unable to stop himself he closed the distance between them, so very softly caressing her cheek and allowing himself to plant a kiss on her forehead.

She caught his hand with hers before he could pull back, holding on to it. He entwined their fingers, giving her as much comfort as he could.

'Sweet dreams, Caroline' he whispered tenderly.

Caroline didn't let go of his hand. Neither did he let go of hers.

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**Thanks for reading :D Please review :)) It makes my day :D **

**See you in next chapter :)))))  
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	20. Before We Say Goodbye

**Hello! I come with a new chapter :D Thank you guys so much for the reviews on the last chapter, you are the BEST :D A repeated question was how many chapters are left. If all goes according to plan I'll have ten more chapters, which means we'll have until chapter 30, there are still a lot of plot going on :D It might end up one chapter shorter or longer, though, depends on how the story works out.  
**

**So this chapter is long and very important in the story so I hope you like it :)  
**

**Happy Reading!**

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**20: Before We Say Goodbye**

It was a weird feeling waking up next to Klaus, but not for the reasons Caroline would have liked. It simply felt wrong to wake up next to him, instead of wrapped in his arms, inhaling his scent.

She couldn't complain much, though, for there was not much of a distance between the two of them. They were fully facing each other, their knees almost brushing, their hands entangled in the middle.

A pair of blue eyes faced Caroline as soon as her eyes caught a glimpse of his face. The expression he wore was not someone who was remotely peaceful or contented. His eyebrows were pulled in an apprehensive frown, his lips were slightly pressed, his blue eyes carried a hint of sadness and something else that Caroline could not quite place. Somewhat apologetic, but she scratched that thought immediately. Klaus didn't do apologetic. A part of her was huffing in frustration that she did not get the chance to watch him asleep, another was screaming at her that she should be punching him in the face and other places that would cause serious damage to him and it would not be enough. But she couldn't do that and for the life of her did not know why. There was something in those sad blue eyes that told her he cared a lot more than he led on. But she was too afraid to hold on to the thought that it might be nothing but a fragment of her imagination and the thought of being hit twice was the farthest thing from appealing.

'Good morning, love' Klaus said gently, but his face was filled with concern still.

'Good morning' Caroline muttered. For some reason she couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye, as though embarrassed of her actions the night before.

'Are you OK, love?' he softly asked, squeezing her hand gently

'Yes' she mumbled 'It's just I'm….' her voice broke, unable to utter what she felt 'I shouldn't be here' she said at last, slowly retrieving her hand. Klaus's face shifted to sad grimace for a fraction of a second, then a neutral mask covered it again.

She quickly sat up, moving away from the bed. Klaus, too, was in a standing position in less than a second

'I'm sorry if I had caused you any trouble' she formally said 'I'll pack my bags and be on my way within an hour'

'You don't have to leave so soon' he muttered, not quite daring to look at her, either.

'Yes, I do' she smiled slightly 'I'm thankful for what you did for me last night, but that doesn't change anything, Klaus'

For some reason, it felt like a knife cutting through him when she called him Klaus. It felt like the worst insult anyone had ever uttered to him, worse than abomination even.

He had to let her go if he truly believed it to be the best thing for her, but he couldn't let her go with those hurtful words he had said the night before her last memory of him. He watched her head to the walk-in closet and extract her bag. That was it, either he'd say something or he would lose her forever. It was best for her that he would not say anything, best for him even, he believed, but he couldn't quite stop himself; just like he couldn't stop himself the night before from running after her, roaming the city like a maniac looking for her. His legs acted on their own accord as he flashed over to her, grabbing her hands to stop them from everything they were doing.

'I owe you an explanation' he declared calmly upon her questioning gaze

'What do you mean?' she asked evenly. That man was driving her crazy, sending all kinds of mixed signals that she did not know what to make of anymore. One second his face is as cold as ice, uttering the most hurtful words of all, the other he's salvaging her from the biggest mistake she could have ever made.

'Come with me?' he softly asked, extending a hand towards her.

She slowly nodded, but inwardly cursed herself for not snapping at him. He was by no means forgiven, but for now, she will listen to what he had to say. Because maybe, just _maybe _he did not mean what he had said the night before.

_Keep saying that and you might believe it._

* * *

But it wasn't words that Klaus used. He took her to the most beautiful view she had ever laid her eyes on. They were on the top of a hill, the sky the lightest and clearest shade of blue, endless shades of green stretched in front of them. She could see them from the brightest to the deepest and all the way to the lightest shade. It was breathtaking, absolutely breathtaking that she felt the urge to sit under a tree and snuggle closer to Klaus.

_Dammit Caroline you should be hating him for crying out loud!_

'It's beautiful' Caroline breathed

Klaus said nothing, but sat cross-legged under a tree extracting his sketching pad. He did nothing but sketch, giving Caroline a chance to drift into her own sea of thoughts. She sat several feet away from him, her eyes cast towards the beautiful scenery. Every now and then, though, they would shift into Klaus's almost-still figure involuntarily. Her curiosity was eating her alive, wanting so desperately to know what it was that he drew, and what kind of an explanation he needed to make her. But she didn't say anything, waiting for him to talk when he thought would be appropriate. Gradually, her thoughts took her elsewhere. It was rather depressing to think about her next move, because she didn't want to take a next move, she wanted to stay there with Klaus

_But he doesn't want you, Caroline, why torture yourself? _

It was depressing, nonetheless inevitable. She was torn between roaming around in Europe for a while or heading back to Mystic Falls. Heading back to Mystic Falls seemed the safest choice. She could go back and drown in her misery there with friends and family to support her. Or they could simply laugh and say I told you so, minus Stefan, Elena and Bonnie would probably never talk to her again and Damon... well he was an asshole she could not bring herself to care about what he would think. No one would ever understand what she felt for him, though, and she just was not up for the tiniest bit of scolding. There was enough going on in her mind. Roaming around in Europe for a while was not as exciting or as appealing as it was supposed to seem. However, nothing seemed pleasant without Klaus by her side. She sighed. Maybe she should just go to Afghanistan and do charity work instead.

The vibration of her phone in her pocket pulled her out of her thoughts. Caroline had never been as happy to see Stefan's name on her phone as much as she was then.

'Stefan' she eagerly answered

'Hey Care' to say that his voice was weary would have been the understatement of the century 'You called me last night? Damon said you sounded distressed'

'What do you know, although your brother is an asshole he still told you that I called' she mused

'Yeah well, he is far less of a jerk than he leads on' Stefan chuckled 'Are you OK? What happened?' he immediately cut off the light mood.

'No I'm not, Stefan' Caroline quietly said, maintaining the sadness in her voice. She flashed her eyes towards Klaus who was unchanged by the occurrence of Stefan's call 'But I can't really talk right now'

'Why?' Stefan questioned

'I'm kind of in the middle of something' she muttered, hoping he'd get the hint.

'OK' Stefan evenly said 'But call me as soon as you can, please?' he softly asked, his voice filled with concern still

'I will, I promise' she assured him

'Take care, Caroline' Stefan meaningfully said.

'I will. You too' she quickly said before hanging up.

Caroline was caught off guard when she turned around to see Klaus's standing figure in front of her. She couldn't exactly bring herself to smile at him, but dropped her gaze immediately instead which caused another stinging pain in his heart.

He did not say anything still, handing her a rolled sheet of parchment and drifting away to stand at the edge of the hill, looking out thoughtfully towards the green below.

Caroline nervously rolled open the sheet of parchment; gasping when she saw the drawing of herself he had created. Caroline was smiling widely in the drawing, a radiant, almost proud smile as she stood with her head held high. Her face was glowing, there was a halo of light around her that enveloped her confident figure, but when she focused, it seemed that it was her that shined, giving light to the standing figure of a man. He was sketched so very faintly that his figure could have been easily missed. He seemed to be standing several feet away from her as well for his figure was smaller. When she squinted, she could almost make out his features, as expected he resembled Klaus, but his features looked as if he was slightly blinded by the halo of light that surrounded Caroline. The drawing, at first, took Caroline's breath away, spreading a warm feeling that Klaus so often managed to give her. He saw her this way, and sensing how badly she felt about the night before, he expressed that it changed nothing about her. However, her face immediately fell at the recollection of what he had said before, and her irritation with his silence was reaching its limit.

'What is this, Klaus?' she asked, slightly wincing at the fact that she could not call him Niklaus.

'It's a drawing, Caroline' he answered absently, still not facing her.

'Yeah, I know that' she rolled her eyes 'But you promised me explanations and now you are giving me this? It doesn't make any sense'

Klaus said nothing for several moments that looked like days to Caroline as she stared at the back of his head.

'This is how I see you, Caroline' He said at last, slowly turning around to face her 'Remember what I told you that night in the ball?'

And how could she forget? Despite the fact that she hated nothing more than him back then, his words stunned her, flattered her, even.

Caroline nodded, impatient to see where he was going with that.

'I've meant it all along' he simply said 'It's how I've seen you all along, Caroline, it's how I'll always see you. Your presence surrounds me with light, life and joy that I have never experienced before' he slowly approached her, sitting next to her and gently taking the drawing from her 'You see that man?' he pointed out the faded figure of the man and Caroline nodded slowly 'That's me, Caroline. That's me blinded and mesmerized by you every single day more than the one before'

Caroline gulped down, tears forming in her eyes 'But yesterday you said…' her voice shook, unable to finish her sentence.

'What I said yesterday was the biggest lie I have ever told during my entire being, Caroline' he whispered softly, locking his gaze with hers 'And I am sorry that it had been that easy to convince you of it'

'Then why did you do it?' she shook her head lightly, having to clench her jaw in order to stop the tears that threatened to overwhelm her, still not quite believing that he did not mean it, because it made so much more sense if he had.

'Because I care too much, Caroline' he huskily said, gazing into her beautiful eyes that took his breath away 'I care too much, that it frightens me. I am not ready to take a risk on this, Caroline, and I did not want to tangle you in hope anymore'

'So you decided to hurt me instead?' she angrily snapped

'I'm sorry' he whispered, averting his gaze from hers 'It'd be much easier if you hated me, Caroline, for you and even for me. Even for everybody'

'But that's not up for you to decide' she whispered, almost pleadingly 'It's my choice, Niklaus, whether I want to be with you or not, it's my choice'

'You don't understand, Caroline' he sighed profoundly, looking out at the scenery before them instead of her eyes 'The only time I've felt this way about anyone it did not end well. I cannot seem to have enough courage to jump into a similar position anymore, Caroline.' he slowly said, knowing that he was exposing himself completely.

'Tatia' Caroline muttered 'What happened with her?'

Klaus licked his lip. He settled down comfortably on the grass next to Caroline, but did not face her. Almost absently he started describing his story with Tatia, sadness heavy in his voice, as his eyes filled up with tears. A pang of jealousy shot through Caroline instantly.

'It was more than a thousand years ago. I was a human back then, and her name was Tatia' he started 'She had arrived into the village in the spring, with the blossoming of flowers came her enchanting smile. She could charm us all by the mere seductive glance she gave, batting her eyelashes like the way she was aware would kill us. Everyone desired her, but it was Elijah that she had set her mind on. She loved him and we all knew it, and he loved her so much, too. His eyes glistened like no time before or after at the mere mention of her name, his entire being seemed far happier. He was a love sick fool, so in love with her and so protective of her and everybody knew it, so they all stopped trying, retracted from their dreams and went back to their worlds and real life, giving up on the idea of her. Except for me' he paused, standing up and wandering on towards the edge. Caroline felt a raging fire flaring on inside of her. The only thing she could think about was how much she hated Tatia 'I was there the whole time, watching, listening, and falling in love with her more and more each day, tormented by the fact that she loved my brother. There were moments when I could swear she would give me longing glances that kept me tangled up in hope. I figured she was waiting for me to admit anything. I kept thinking that I should, because I was giving her mixed signals, unable to show my feelings or completely hide them. I finally built up the courage to tell her. I still remember how my hands were trembling and my stomach was in knots when I told her' he chuckled, gazing down at the grass 'She cried when I confessed my undying affection and ran off to her home. I didn't see her for quite some time afterwards and I took it as a sign that she did not want me. I went out of my mind cursing myself for what I've said. Just when I thought that seeing her with Elijah was the most painful thing I'd ever have to do, not seeing her at all turned out to be the worst flavor of pain. I saw her at last in the village; all she said was meet me tonight. I saw her that night. I saw her that night and the one after, and the one after. We never stopped. We couldn't stop. We knew it was wrong and that it would destroy Elijah but we couldn't stop. It was like we were drifting towards these feelings neither of us could fight' a smile crept its way to his face, but it quickly disappeared 'But it was all in secret. I was her secret. In daylight, with people all around us, she was Elijah's and everyone knew it. I had to watch her with him, pretending like nothing had changed... and maybe it hadn't. I had become close and closer to the conclusion that she never was going to make a choice. She promised me that it would stop at some point, that she would confront Elijah and the lie we were living in would stop. Tomorrow, she would say, or the week after or the one after, but it never happened, until she stopped promising and dodged the subject whenever it popped. We started fighting, our meetings started to get less and less consistent. But I still loved her with every beat of my heart. And I still couldn't look at Elijah in the eye' his last sentence was whispered, followed by a heavy pause 'To make things worse he began talking to me about his relationship with Tatia. I was his confidant. He used to talk to me about how much he felt she was drifting away from him, like there was someone else on her mind whenever she was with him, how tormented he was for being unable to shake off the feeling that he was losing her, that she was slipping away from his fingers. I should have felt terrible but it only made me smirk internally. I felt happy for what I was achieving, I knew that I was winning; I knew that I was breaking my brother's heart. The more he talked about how distant she'd become the better I felt. I knew I was close to winning her over.

Until one night Elijah came talking to me, slightly shaken. I asked him what was wrong, I was hoping that he and Tatia had had a fight, and they had. He had confronted her, told her that he suspected the existence of someone else in her life, told her about his suspicions and insecurities. But she had told him it was nonsense, shouted at him how could he ever think of such a thing, that she loved him and only him, that her heart had always and forever will belong to him' his voice dropped to a whisper. Wanting to see his expressions, Caroline joined him at the edge of the hill. He did not face her, nor flinched at her sudden closeness just kept on staring onwards, his eyes not quite seeing what was before them, but a film of old memories instead 'I was out of my mind upset' he continued 'I've always thought that if he ever confronted her she would break under the pressure and tell him everything. But she did not say anything and I impulsively decided to take matters into my own hand so it was me who told him… about everything… about it all, from the very beginning till where we were standing then, a wedge between us with her constant refusal to speak up about us. He did not believe me at first, thought that I was trying to joke and that it was not even remotely funny. But no one was laughing and his face immediately fell. I can still see the look of pure betrayal in his eyes, how his lips quivered and his eyes formed tears. He grabbed my hand and stormed out, dragging me through the sleeping village until we reached her home. She appeared with the most beautiful smile that usually greeted me, thinking that it was I coming to make peace with her, and, as usual, make love to her afterwards. Her expression immediately changed upon seeing Elijah with me. It took mere seconds for her to understand what it was that happened and she started crying. Elijah's grip on my arm loosened when she started apologizing, knowing that it was indeed what had happened, that we had betrayed him. I did not know what to make of myself. Should I apologize to the pain I had caused my brother or feel relieved that it was finally out in the opened. It was only when Elijah had begun to leave with a disgusted look on his face that Tatia moved from her still position. She grabbed his arm and fell on her knees, begging him forgiveness, saying that she loved him so much, that she could not live without him, that she loved him more than she would love anyone. My blood boiled in my veins and I screamed at her, telling her then what it was that our affair meant. What it was that her broken promises meant. Was she toying with me? Or did she truly love me?' he sighed deeply 'She said that she loved me, too. That she loved us both and did not know what to make of it, that her feelings towards each one of us were drastically different, that she needed us both in her life and she was sorry that it had come to this, she was sorry that she had hurt us both, but she could not let go of either of us.

Elijah hurried home, leaving us both behind him. He was unable to look at either of us, I guessed, and I was unable to look at Tatia, so I followed him home. I saw him vomiting near our cottage. He was in complete mess. I had never seen him like that before or after that night. As soon as he heard my approach, he straightened from his crouching position and punched me. How could you do this to me, he had yelled, you are my brother, you of all people should have known how much I loved her, you of all people should not have betrayed me. How could you hurt your brother? How could you betray him? He kept yelling. I, too, was disgusted by myself that night. I, for the first time, saw what I had done to my brother and how damaged he was. For the first time, I did not see the situation completely selfishly, and I, too, wanted to vomit.' Klaus stopped talking, staring at his feet instead. He shut his eyes, as if the worst part was yet to come and Caroline cringed. The story was far uglier than she anticipated 'It turned into a rivalry between the two of us afterwards, racing to gain Tatia's affections, to make the scale stray to my side or his. I truly believed that he had given her a second chance just so he could crush her, and I constantly pointed out to her the fact that he cannot have forgotten what we had done. But she still didn't make her choice, insisting that she needed more time, that she still could not give up either of us. More time, more time, I heard Elijah once tell her, you always need more time but you never make a choice, tangling us both in hope. And that was the first time when both Elijah and I could agree on something ever since that terrible winter night. We both told her we needed a choice, that it was hurting both of us to share her, that if she did not make a choice she would lose us both. She cried that night, telling us that she was still so in love with both of us, but her tears did not soften our angry hearts.

My mother watched everything from a distance, waiting for the right time to interfere, giving us a chance to solve the problem alone. That never happened. Elijah and I constantly fought, threw punches at each other, acting like we were the worst of enemies despite Rebekah's desperate attempts to bring us closer.

We stopped seeing Tatia, both of us giving her the space she needed. I became restless at night, far from used to spending them alone, so I decided to go see the men turn into wolves one full moon as a distraction. I took Henric with me and he died.' for the first time he turned to Caroline, meeting her teary-eyes with a cold expression masking the distant look he had worn before 'Have you heard the story of our transitioning? How the plague started?' he asked and Caroline slowly nodded, unsure if she wanted to know why that had anything to do with Tatia.

'The blood in the wine we drank that night,' he continued dodging her eyes again 'the night it all started… was hers. My mother had decided to end the feud between Elijah and myself, sacrificing Tatia to turn us into vampires.'

'Your mother…' Caroline's voice shook 'Your mother killed Tatia?' it felt like someone had just dropped a bomb, making Caroline's vision blurry, her hearing deafening. She couldn't believe it. It sounded far too surreal, far too tragic for her to believe. The whole story was far more obnoxious than Caroline expected, and she had started to think that maybe she should not have been so persistent on hearing it, maybe it was better if it had stayed a mystery to her. Nonetheless, she had never been happier that Klaus had opened up to her. Perhaps she should not have been so happy; after all, it did not change a thing. They were still not together, and he was still undecided about it. It seemed kind of absurd to think of Klaus, the big bad hybrid, undecided, especially about a relationship. Even more absurd that Caroline wanted to get involved with Klaus, the big bad hybrid, who less than a month before had been no one but an annoying pain in the ass who kept harassing her by sending her drawing and jewels, unable to understand that she wanted nothing to do with him, other than be in a plan to kill him. Now, she just wanted to hug him and kiss him so hard that he would forget Tatia ever existed.

'Yes, she did' Caroline shivered at the cold, even tone he was speaking with 'Of course we did not know until it was all over and it no longer mattered'

A long heavy silence clouded the clearance of the day. Caroline's eyes were forming tears as she dropped her gaze to the ground, unable to look at his expressionless profile.

'I'm sorry' her voice was nothing but a mere, almost inaudible, whispers.

Klaus gave her a small, forced smile, resuming his silence.

'Do you miss her?' knowing that she probably should not have asked that question, she still couldn't stop herself. It irritated her far more than she expected that he loved that Tatia girl so much. And the fact that he was human, that she was his human love, only made things more upsetting. Who knew, maybe Caroline was never able to make him feel about her like he felt about Tatia.

'I did, a very long time ago, but not anymore. Her memory is not exactly something that I talk about easily, and there will always be this overwhelming sadness whenever I mention her name, but I don't miss her. After all, she had toyed and hurt me far too much.'

'But she is still your first love' Caroline sighed.

'But she is nothing but a distant memory now' Klaus murmured.

_Someone else fills my mind now, Caroline. It's you. _

'Thank you for sharing this with me' Caroline said, giving him a slight smile.

She wasn't sure if she should be happy about his opening up to her, though. For he had probably done it as granting her a last wish, and since, as far as she was concerned, she was going her separate way. What she knew or didn't know no longer truly mattered.

He did not want her. She was leaving and it didn't matter.

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Nothing could be heard but the rain drops on the roof and the loud silence that filled the living-room where Klaus and Caroline sat across each other. Her eyes were glued to his distant face, his eyes were glued to her packed suitcase that stood beside her. That was it. If he wanted her, if he was willing to open up his heart again, that was it. He could either do it now, or he could lose her forever, there was no third option. If Caroline walked out of that room into the darkening night sky, he was not going to see her, not in a year, not in fifty, not in a hundred. Even if he would, it would be too late. It was now or never.

But he couldn't bring himself to do anything but stare absently at her suitcase.

He did not know what it was that frightened him so much and stopped him from doing anything, from saying anything to keep her with him, even though he wanted her to stay. Unlike the night before or that morning, what he would say was not going to stall her leave, it should make her stay. He still couldn't say anything. Maybe it was the fear of opening up again that crippled him, whispering old stories to him about how much he had been hurt, about the times when everyone who had pretended to love him turned their backs on him. Maybe it was the feeling of being too vulnerable, too exposed, too lost in the feeling that frightened him. Maybe it was the fact that he cared too much to the point that it made him want to do anything to protect Caroline that frightened him. He had lowered his guards before and it had never ended well, and he was not a person to make the same mistake twice.

But was it a mistake? Maybe it was time to take a leap of faith after a thousand years of roaming the globe guarded, alone and in complete darkness. Maybe it was Caroline who would finally end that.

'I understand now' Caroline whispered, breaking the silence 'why you have been so guarded and uptight for a thousand years, your experience with Tatia couldn't have been easy, and then your own father hunted you down to kill you. When he died your mother came back to finish the job he couldn't do. Not to mention the feeling you've had of being an outcast and resented by your own siblings. It could not have been easy.' Caroline evenly said, staring at her hands where they were tightly clasped in her lap 'But you shouldn't push people away because of this. You should not push me away because of this.' She whispered her last sentence, glancing shortly at his neutral expression before resuming meditating her hands.

'Caroline' Klaus started calmly 'You have to understand that this is for the best. You do not need someone like me in your life'

'No' Caroline snapped, lifting her sharp look to his face 'You don't get to make this decision for me. This is for you. You don't get to make this about me. You are the one who is walking away from what we have because you are too goddamn afraid. This is for you, Klaus, it has nothing to do with me' with that she rose to her feet, tears springing from her eyes despite herself as she yelled at an astonished Klaus 'You keep pretending like you are doing some sort of sacrifice for me, but that is not true. You are walking away because you're afraid. At least have the guts to admit it, or admit the fact that you're just trying not to say that you truly don't give a damn about me and were just having fun'

Klaus shot up to his feet, saying under his breath 'How can you think that I don't care, Caroline?'

'I don't know maybe because you were the one to say as much yourself' she spat.

'I told you I never meant that' he slumped his hands in frustration 'I told you I was sorry about what I said, more sorry than I have ever been for anything, what else do you want me to say?'

'I don't want you to say anything' she yelled 'I want you to do something about it. I want you to show me that you care. I want you to give us a chance for real'

'Why?' Klaus yelled back 'Why is that so important to you?'

Before she could stop herself, she yelled sharply 'Because I love you'

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**I know cliffhanger! I am bad but I couldn't resist :P I'll try to upload quickly, but I am not so sure I'd be able to. I'll do my best though :D**

**Oh and this is my story about the whole Elijah/Tatia/Niklaus triangle because it serves the plot later :D I AM dying to see what truly happened, though, really hope they would show us their story this season :D  
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**Please review! It means the world to me :D  
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	21. Those Three Words

**Hello guys! I come with a new chapter :D First of all, thank you so much for all the support you have been giving me! My head is getting big. Second of all, I LOVE this chapter, and I really hope you'd like it, too! So tell me what you think :D  
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**Happy reading :)**

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**21: Those Three Words**

Caroline gasped, clasping her hands over her mouth. Her eyes were wide-opened as she stared at Klaus's blank expression. He stayed like that for what seemed to be an eternity to Caroline, holding a still, stiff posture and a blank expression that was driving her crazy.

_Seriously, Caroline, How come you always manage to place yourself in the most awkward position?_

Then Klaus's expression turned into a stunned one, the normal way people usually react, and his features gradually softened, softened so much to the point that all cockiness, all trace of the evil hybrid was gone. Only once had Caroline seen him like that before, when he was playing the violin for her only a night before, but what seemed a month ago.

'Caroline' it was more of a sigh than it was a way to call for her 'Do you truly mean that?' he softly, almost disbelievingly asked.

She should say no. If she would say yes, he would freak out, and she did not want to volunteer this information until a long time _after_they had gotten together had passed, and not at all if they were to go their separate ways. But what was the use? It was out in the open and she should just tell him so he would know how important he was to her. Her feelings towards him ought to play a role in their relationship, or lack of relationship.

'Yes' she calmly said, her hands falling to her sides, her eyes not quite meeting his, too afraid that what she would see in them would hurt her.

'Caroline...' Klaus breathed again, seeming in complete loss of what he should say 'This is... This can't be real...' he exhaled deeply.

'But it is...' she desperately said, taking his hesitant reply as a bad sign. Her panic started to exhilarate. She had miraculously managed to make a fool of herself two seconds before leaving Klaus. Now he can laugh about how he made that stupid, little, small-town girl fall in love with him so easily 'just forget that I said anything.' Caroline blurted out, and with a mere second blurred out of the castle, leaving her suitcase behind.

It was only then that Klaus snapped out of his frenzy. The big bad hybrid, whose reflexes were so quick that it was sometimes annoying, was stunned for far too long over the fact that this blonde vampire was in love with him. Why did it sound so surreal that she loved him? Why did it spread warmth and an unimaginable rush of happiness through him? He was Klaus frigging Mikealson! He was the cocky over-confident Original hybrid, why was it so unbelievably enthralling to know that Caroline Forbes, the small-town girl had fallen in love with him.

And then it hit him. He wasted no more time being stunned over what she had just said, because that was the only reassurance he needed. He used his vampire speed to chase her into the rainy night. He could hear her footsteps and what seemed to him suppressed sobs over the loud thunder of rain. It was raining heavily, drops falling like bullets, hitting his shoulders and back, but it didn't matter. Not because he was an Original hybrid and the rain did not affect him the least bit, but because his thoughts were only directed towards the blonde head he could now see, everything in him yearned for her, called after her, needed her, craved her more than blood.

'Caroline' he called after her 'wait'.

Caroline heard him but could not quite bring herself to stop, surely he wanted nothing but give her the suitcase she had forgotten and further humiliation she did not need.

'Caroline, love' still he was an Original and it was only a matter of time before he caught up to her, body blocking her from going anywhere. He was not going to let her go anywhere that was not his arms, and the look in his eyes told her she did not want to go anywhere. They were glistening with that spark that ever so rarely appeared in them, the spark that made his eyes look the lightest shade of blue and made Caroline's heart jump before he would utter a word. He stepped closer to her, so close that she was mere inches away from him, her face in level with his chest that she had to look up to meet the happy expression his face wore. He was smiling his sweet, dimples-showing smile, his eyes were adoringly gazing into her dazzled eyes.

'It can't be real, Caroline' he said almost breathlessly.

'But it is...' she almost huffed in frustration before he raised a finger to her lips, stopping them from babbling.

'It can't be that you love me, because I am the one who is madly in love with you'

'What?' Caroline gasped, her breathing suddenly quickening.

'I am in love with you, Sweet Caroline. You make me feel like I have never felt before. You make my heart jump whenever you say my name. You make my whole being sing with delight by your presence, and I love you, Caroline Forbes' his voice dropped to its sweet, seductive velvetiness.

'Then why did you want me to leave?' Caroline shakily whispered, tears in her eyes. She was too shocked to truly understand what he was saying, or what it meant, and she felt like the answer of that question would make it more comprehensible.

'It is because I love you I wanted you to leave. Because it frightened me that I could love someone so much, because I could never imagine that you could love me, because I have always thought you would hurt me, Caroline. But I can't let you go now, love, I would be a fool to let you leave' he vulnerably said. Maybe he was ready after all; his every sense was urging him to hold her and never let go. Maybe it was Caroline and her light that would finally end his loneliness, that would finally end the darkness and surround him with everything he had dreamed of a very long time before, dreams he had not dared recall until Caroline declared herself present in his life, and stole his heart with her radiant smile.

'You are ready to take a leap of faith for me...' Caroline whispered, her tears escaping her eyes. She was suddenly thankful that the rain made it hard for him to tell that she was crying 'because you love me?'

Klaus's hand grabbed hers and pressed it to his perfect chest, right where his heart was supposed to be 'My dead heart belongs to you, Caroline, and you only'

Caroline was well crying by then but with a dazzled gaze that could not leave her eyes. For several moments nothing could be heard but the raindrops slamming against the ground and their rapid breathing. She held his loving gaze as the truth began to gradually sink in. He loved her. Niklaus loved her and the whole world seemed to shine as the realization of that hit her. He loved her and she loved him so much that it was too much to handle sometimes.

'Kiss me, Niklaus!' she demanded softly.

'Your wish is my command, Sweet Caroline'

He crushed his lips to hers. Although it was only the night before since he had last kissed her, it felt like it had been far too long since she had been kissed by him, far too long that she had missed the wonderful feeling his lips on hers gave her, far too long that she sighed with relief into the kiss, melting against him, her hands clutching his wet shirt tightly as he brought her closer to him, his kiss intensifying. His hands slowly traveled from her back to her hips, making her moan. She bit his bottom lip and he groaned as her hands travelled to his wet hair, pulling at it in the way he loved so much.

Without further thinking he lifted her from the ground, and she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist. He broke the kiss. They were both panting as stared into her blue eyes, looking for any signs of hesitation, any signs of rejection, but found none. She was smiling at him like she was the happiest person in the world, her eyes shimmering with delight, something that sent waves of gleefulness through him as he, too, couldn't seem to be able to stop smiling.

'Don't stop kissing me, Niklaus' she said breathlessly and he didn't need to be told twice, passionately reuniting his lips with hers.

Dazzled by the way he was kissing, by the way he was touching her, Caroline did not know how they ended up back in the castle, in his bedroom, peeling their wet clothing off of each other. She shivered as his hands caressed her bare skin, his lips delicately spreading kissing over her torso, eliciting feelings inside of her she never knew existed. Gently, he laid her down on the bed, removing the strands of blonde hair away from her face, gazing affectionately into her eyes. The moment felt far too perfect that Caroline could not believe it was actually happening. She completely gave herself up to Klaus, kissing him intensely, passionately, and it did not feel remotely as scary as she thought it would feel, on the contrary, it felt so right, so beautiful, so magical that it took her breath away. The way he was kissing her made her feel like she was the only woman in the world, the way he touched her let her know that he loved her, the way he held her made her wish that she could stay like that forever, in his arms, surrounded with his warmth, feeling him become one with her, feeling their passion igniting fire between them until she couldn't feel the sheets brushing her skin, just his touch caressing her, just his lips trailing kisses from the corner of her mouth to her neck, down to her shoulders and bare chest. She pulled at his hair and brought his face back to hers, crashing her lips to his, urgently kissing him. Their kisses were heated, filled with desire, they unleashed all the passion they have been holding back from each other, all the frustration from their constant fights, all the anticipation from all those nights they dreamed about that moment. But nothing prepared either of them for what was happening, for the absolute magic that was that moment. It was then that Caroline knew that she had not made the tiniest bit of a mistake being with him as he passionately embraced her, making her world complete.

* * *

The sun shone brightly into the room. All trace of the cloudy night before gone. The rain left the ground moist, the trees glittering as the shimmering sunlight reflected on the tiny remaining raindrops covering the bright green, smooth surfaces of the tree leaves.

The sunlight gently awakened Caroline from her comfortable sleep. She opened her eyes slowly, welcoming the warmth the sun was offering. Soon she realized that the warmth was not offered by the sun, but by Klaus's embrace. She was using his chest as her very own pillow, her arm hugging his torso, his hand was placed over hers, playing with her fingers, his other arm wrapped around her waist, keeping her warm with his presence. Caroline couldn't help but smile as she looked up to see a pair of blue eyes looking back at her.

'Good morning, love' he said with a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

'Good morning to you' Caroline grinned, turning to lay on her stomach and placing her chin on his chest, looking into those beautiful contented eyes.

'Did you sleep well, love?' Klaus sweetly asked her, taking her hand in his and entwining their fingers.

'Yes, thanks to you' for some reason she could not lose the huge grin. It just felt so surreal to wake up in Klaus's arms, but so normal and so right at the same time that she could not even bring herself to care that she had just slept with the enemy, and enjoyed it, _a lot. _

Klaus chuckled, squeezing her hand gently.

'I'm still kinda disappointed, though' Caroline said, sighing

'Disappointed of what, love?' Klaus asked furrowing his brows

'I didn't get to watch you asleep' she shook her head lightly 'It's kind of a fantasy of mine'

To that, Klaus laughed his beautiful laughter; his eyes sparkling like Caroline had never seen them before. His laughter rang through the room effortless, light, genuine. It was natural, unfilled with the usual sardonic tone or the slight bitterness. It simply made Caroline giggle happily, climbing to come face level with him and plant a sweet, short kiss on his lips.

The light mood slightly tensed though. Klaus's face seemed to wear a slightly weary expression that she immediately noted. Sweetly, Caroline caressed his face, a small frown appearing on her face.

'What's wrong?' she asked, her voice a mere whisper. Her mind already started running wild.

'Nothing, love' Klaus gave her a small smile 'I was just worried that you regret what had happened' he hesitantly said, looking into her eyes.

Caroline released a breath she did not know she was holding 'Why would you think that?' she asked him, running her thumb through his cheekbone.

'Because of your friends' he said carefully 'I just thought that this would cause a problem between you and them and I know how important they are to you so…'

Caroline sighed 'It will cause troubles but if they love me as much as I think they do, they will understand' _or not._

'So you don't regret anything?' he double-checked

She brought her face closer to his, seductively saying against his lips 'Does it look like I regret anything? Does my face say that I regret anything?'

'It most certainly does not look like it' Klaus chuckled, pressing his lips to hers briefly.

'Are _you _regretting anything?' she asked him rather playfully squinting at him.

'Does it look like I regret anything? Does my face say that I regret anything?' Klaus teased, making Caroline laugh.

'Since that's cleared' Caroline started casually 'Do we have plans today?'

'Yes we do, actually' Klaus said seriously 'I plan on keeping you in bed for as long as I could' he smirked, wiggling his eyebrows. Caroline blushed despite herself.

'I'd like nothing more than that' she sheepishly said

'Certainly, love' he grinned 'You'll be here with me, and what better company you can get?'

'You're so full of yourself' she said playfully, rolling her eyes at him 'But seriously, do we have any plans… other than staying in bed?'

'Well, I was planning to take you on a romantic dinner.' Klaus said casually

'Are you asking me out on a date?' she teased.

Klaus squinted thoughtfully 'Yes' he finally mused 'I believe I am, if that is what you would like to name it, love'

Caroline giggled 'Yes! It would be our first official date'

'As you like, love' Klaus shook his head, chuckling. He briefly pressed his lips to hers.

A moment of comfortable silence passed before Caroline broke it.

'What made you change your mind last night?' Caroline asked him, averting her gaze from his. OK, maybe it was not the best idea to ask the question then. Caroline bit her lip harshly. True, she had indirectly asked him that question the night before, she still needed reassurance. Her mind was so foggy then, and she was so caught up in the moment that maybe her mind had formed an answer of its own.

'Because you said that you loved me, Caroline' Klaus softly and simply said, removing the strand of hair away from her beautiful face, his gaze lingering on her features in the way that made her insides fill up with giddiness 'And it made me realize that I love you, that I cannot possibly let you go. It made me realize that I want you in my life, Caroline, that I would not be able to live with myself if I had let you go. I remembered that day when you were talking about my painting, when you said that everyone can find happiness if they allowed it in, that my darkness would end if I was willing to give light a chance to seep into my world and I could not let you go. You are my happiness, Caroline, you are my light. I should have seen that earlier and I am sorry that I have not. But now I know it, Caroline, how could I let you go?'

Caroline's eyes formed tears as she intensely pressed her lips to his, enjoying the way his hand roamed all over her bare back, his other hand clutching hers, squeezing it gently. The kiss gradually deepened, and Klaus quickly reversed their positions, pinning her down on the mattress. He broke the kiss, returning her radiant smile with one of his own.

'Oh no!' Caroline sighed dramatically.

'What is it, love?' he raised his eyebrows at her quizzically

'This means I'm stuck with you!' she teased, dramatically rolling her eyes.

'I guess that what it truly means, love' Klaus mused.

'I guess I'm just gonna have to live with it' she huffed.

'I see where this is going' Klaus smirked, trailing his hands down her bare sides and making her shiver. He leaned in closer, giving slow kisses to her neck 'Let's see for how long will you think that being stuck with me is a bad thing, love' he said between his kisses.

'I don't think that will last for so long' she breathed, moaning when his hands started to do their magic.

Klaus chuckled, his lips finding hers again.

* * *

It wasn't until noon that Klaus allowed Caroline to leave the bed. He told Caroline to be ready at eight sharp for their "first official date"; saying it like that enthralled Caroline, as though the mention of a date made it more real.

Caroline headed to her room and slid into the shower, catching her reflection in the mirror with a huge grin plastered across her face. She simply couldn't help it. The feeling of being in heaven was far too good for her to shake it off.

_It will be shaken off no matter what you do, Caroline. As soon as you call Stefan, all the rainbows and unicorns will evaporate. _

The recollection of that made Caroline bite her lower lip, suddenly feeling apprehensive. True, Stefan had told Caroline that he would support her no matter what she did, however, just a mere tiny possibility is one thing and the fact that it became a reality was a whole other thing.

She finally built up the courage to call Stefan; that basically was because he had left three hundred missed calls and twenty voice messages telling Caroline to call him and that he was out of his mind worried. So yes, calling him was inevitable, yet Caroline did not quite know if she should tell him about the latest change of events between herself and Klaus. Her mind seemed to be standing at a crossroad. She could simply pretend that nothing had changed, and that the day before she had been simply feeling depressed, and she would be able to get away with it for quite some time. However, she owed it to Stefan to be honest with him. It felt wrong to lie to him since he had been nothing but supportive and understanding about everything that has happened. Also, she needed to talk to someone about it all. Normally, it would be Elena, so she could tell her how great the sex was and all. Caroline immediately scratched that idea; neither Elena nor Bonnie will ever be part of any conversation that was related to her relationship or feelings towards Klaus. In fact after they would find out, maybe they would never talk her again. Caroline shook off the idea, not wanting to ruin her good mood.

Inhaling deeply, she dialed Stefan's number. Her stomach was in knots, her eyes were shut as she murmured 'Don't pick up' repeatedly under her breath.

'Caroline' Stefan breathed ruefully as soon as he answered the phone on the first ring. Caroline cursed under her breath. 'I was so worried, what happened to you?' he asked, half relieved half scolding

'I just got caught up. I'm so sorry' her voice shook despite herself.

_Yeah, sorry, Stefan, I was too busy sleeping with your biggest enemy, you know the one who ruined our lives. _

She inwardly winced.

'It's just that I kept calling you and got no answer and you didn't sound so good yesterday and I got really worried' Stefan explained 'Is everything OK? What happened with you?'

'Everything is OK, Stefan, I'm fine' she assured him firmly.

'That's not what you said yesterday' Stefan said slowly.

'I was having a bad day yesterday and that's all' she tried to laugh it off. Despite the fact that she had promised herself to tell Stefan the truth, she seemed to be tongue-tied. What would she tell him? That she was so in love with Klaus? That she had slept with him? That they were officially dating? That he was her boyfriend? Well, she surely couldn't tell him _that, _boyfriend and Klaus did not fit in the same sentence, not even to Caroline.

'Alright' Stefan sighed 'I'm guessing I'll have to pull the truth out of you. What's going on, Caroline?'

'Nothing is going on, I'm great!' was her feeble reply.

'Don't make me get on a plane, Care' Stefan said sternly 'Did he hurt you?'

'What? No!' Caroline quickly dismissed his thought 'Not at all, I promise'

'Then what is it? When I called you yesterday you sounded terrible and now…' His voice trailed off

'Now what?' Caroline frowned, although she was not sure she wanted to know what the end of that sentence was.

'Now you sound like the happiest person in the world' Stefan said robotically 'and you're trying to hide it' he concluded thoughtfully. And Caroline knew that it dawned on him right then 'Did something happen between you and Klaus?' he probably knew the answer to that but had to make sure nonetheless.

Caroline licked her lip 'Stefan,' she started far more steadily than she had thought she would 'there's no easy way to say this but …'

'Something did happen' he finished her sentence for her. He didn't sound upset, or sad, or sarcastic, he sounded robotic 'Do I even want to know what happened?'

Caroline did not answer and that was enough of an answer. What was worse than a kiss? Caroline could only think of one thing.

'Oh' was all Stefan could say.

'Look, Stefan, I know it's hard but just know that it is my choice.' She pleaded.

'I know it's your choice, and that's what's killing me, Caroline' Stefan quietly said 'I mean, how can you want to be with someone like him?' his tone was irritated.

'But you don't know him, Stefan' Caroline reasoned 'The whole evil thing is just a mask, I've seen who he really is'

'So you think you know him? And you are willing to forgive everything he's ever done?' Stefan said accusingly

'I know that he's done some pretty terrible things, but haven't we all? And I think I can forget what he had done. It might take some time for me to overlook the horrible things he's done, but it will happen eventually. Everyone will forget what he had done and move on with their lives' Caroline tried not to sound too shaky, but her voice betrayed her to some extent.

'So you think he is no longer a threat to any of us?' Stefan said almost disbelievingly.

'Yes' Caroline said surely 'He would never do anything that would hurt me and that would include hurting any of you'

'And what makes you so sure of that?' Stefan mused

'Because we are in love, Stefan' Caroline blurted out, then bit her lip harshly. OK, maybe she was not supposed to be so obvious about it and that earned her a long silence on the other end. It was so silent that she could not even hear Stefan's breathing.

'Stefan' she whispered

'You two are…' Stefan tried to say but the sentence kept breaking 'You two are … in love?' he finally said.

'Yes' Caroline whispered 'We are Stefan. I never meant for that to hurt anybody but I love him so much, Stefan, and he loves me, and we can't turn our backs on each other'

'I shouldn't be surprised, I saw that coming, but hearing you say it….' his voice trailed off 'You really do love him, don't you?' Stefan evenly said after a short pause.

'Yes I do' Caroline assured him 'He makes me happier than I have ever been and drives me crazy at the same time; he makes me laugh and makes me cry like no one had ever done. And I know it's gonna be hard, and I know that I might get my heart broken, but I can't walk away from what I feel. I don't want to walk away from it, Stefan' her eyes formed tears as she tried to explain to Stefan how important Klaus was to her.

'This is really happening, isn't it?' Stefan's voice was disbelieving, almost too shocked.

'Yes it is. And if you can't handle it anymore, if you can't talk to me anymore, I'll understand. After all, I am the one who betrayed her friends' her voice shook as tears started to trail down her face. The idea of losing Stefan, of losing any of her friends terrified her more than she led on. It terrified her to think of the possibility that Stefan might just hang up on her any second now, and she would lose him. She knew there might be a high price to be paid, but she had never thought of what she might do if it had become so costly. Caroline, more than anything, did not want to have to choose between the man she loved, and her friends. More than anything, it terrified her that it would to come down to that. She couldn't turn her back on her friends and most definitely could not afford to lose Klaus, ever.

'I'm not gonna turn my back on you, Care' Stefan calmly said, a hint of smile in his voice 'What kind of a friend would I be if I did that? I knew what was going on, and I knew that it would come down to this at some point. But you are my friend, Care, more than that, you're like my little sister and I could never turn my back on you. Even if you chose to spend the rest of eternity with Klaus, I'll find a way to live with it. I trust you, Caroline, and I am sure that you will always find the right choice for you'

Caroline was between crying and laughing by the end of Stefan's mini-speech. She had no words that could describe how grateful she was for Stefan's existence in her life.

'Thank you, Stefan' was all she could say.

'You would have done the same for me' he lightly said.

'Hey, by the way' Stefan said after a short pause 'you need to talk to Elena. She had been so skeptic about why your phone calls to her were getting shorter and less frequent; she thinks you're hiding something.'

'What did you tell her?' her voice was panicked.

'I told her that she should talk to you. And I think it's time for you to finally get clean with her.' he paused 'Calling Bonnie wouldn't be such a bad idea, either' Stefan hesitantly said.

Caroline bit her lower lip. After all she had no reason to be mad at Bonnie, she had let it go far enough, and, truth be told, Bonnie had every reason to hate Caroline now. It turned out she hadn't loved Tyler as much as she thought she did. The recollection of Tyler's face made her wince. She did not regret what had happened between her and Klaus, but a pang of guilt always hit her at the memory of her dead boyfriend.

'I will call them both' she assured him. _Not tonight, though, one person is totally enough. _That was far more exhausting than Caroline thought it would be. And Stefan was the easiest of them.

Nonetheless, it was worth it.

* * *

**Thanks for reading :D **

**Please review!  
**

**See you in next chapter :D  
**


	22. Kiss Me Slowly

**Hello everyone! I know I KNOW! I am SO LATE with this update but please understand, I just got back from my extended vacation in USA and now school started and things are going pretty much hectic. I'll do my best not to take so long again. **

**And OMGOSH! Thank you so much for all the love on the last chapter! I am so glad you like the whole kiss in the rain thingy :D **

**So this is a very romantic chapter, the one after will probably be romantic as well before the story picks up before the major finale. So you have a very well-deserved fluff after the last a few chapters. It's not fillery, though, if you are considering skipping it. **

**Enough with the rant :D Happy reading, lovelies! **

* * *

**22: Kiss Me Slowly **

It was ridiculous to have her stomach in knots. Technically, that was by no means her first date with Klaus. Just because they did not name their former evenings, it did not make them any less of dates. The intentions behind them, the conversations that took place, the electricity of their intense gazes and the fireworks that seemed to explode whenever they touched all indicated clearly that calling those dinners anything other than dates would be absurd. Even more it was quite silly to be nervous about how she should look after their activities the night before and the morning that followed. He had surely memorized her body by heart by then, and probably made a list of what she liked already; not that much effort was required in that area. Her every reaction told him that his mere touch set her on fire. Caroline blushed as she stood nude in front of her full-length mirror, recalling how wonderful it felt to have his hands on her.

Nervously, she slipped on her best lingerie, discontented still with her wet hair. She tried to blow it dry for the last time before resuming to her walk-in closet to find a solution to the unsolvable dilemma of what her outfit should consist of. Despite the fact that she had excused herself to go and shop, especially for that occasion, she could not quite find the perfect dress. By no means did Klaus tell her where it was they were going or what kind of an atmosphere should she expect. The word "Romantic dinner" sent tons of flashing images through her mind, and not one helped. Caroline helplessly lacked what she considered to be appropriate for the occasion, even after her shopping trip which was nothing if not fruitful, thus did not know what to do to make herself presentable.

She huffed upon gluing her eyes to the three dresses she had bought that day with matching high-heels. By the end of her trip she found out that she had spent all of her money on that shopping trip. Even though Klaus had more than gladly given her his credit card she did not use it. For some reason, it did not feel right to use it. It felt somewhat like she was taking advantage of his generosity, and she did not want him to think for the tiniest fraction of a second that her interest in him was drawn from anything materialistic he could provide. The thought itself was quite absurd for less than a month ago she had considered spending his money on expensive clothing was the least price he could pay for what he had put them through.

_Seriously, my mind has to stop thinking for at least this evening! _

She heard a soft knock on the door.

'Who is it?' she asked, her eyes snapping to the clock on her bedside. She still had good two hours before the appointed time.

'It's Mrs. Williamson, Miss Forbes' the kind voice drifted into the room 'Can I offer any help?' she softly asked.

'Yes, please!' Caroline enthusiastically squealed, grabbing her robe.

Mrs. Williamson entered, closing the door behind her. She was smiling warmly at Caroline, a gleam of gentleness occupying her grey eyes.

'I came to make sure you were alright, Miss' Mrs. Williamson kindly explained.

'I am so nervous' Caroline blurted out, waving her hands in the air 'I feel like it's my first day at school or something! I have no idea what to do with myself or what to wear and Klaus is annoying the hell out of me not telling me where we are going, and refusing to see me in the first place, saying that I need to miss him!' she babbled to a smiling still Mrs. Williamson. The last factor was frankly a lot more disturbing than all the others, because, well, she truly missed him.

'Oh dear' the latter softly chuckled 'There is no need to be nervous now. Mr. Mikealson will have his breath taken away by anything you wear'

'Well, I only have this garbage' she whined, pointing to the three dresses strewn out on the bed. Why did they look so much more beautiful when she bought them and now they just look so awfully wrong?

'What beautiful dresses' Mrs. Williamson commented as her eyes wandered to the dresses 'I'm sure they will look a whole lot more beautiful on your lovely figure' she smiled approaching the creamy-white strapless dress.

Caroline grunted 'I'm so gonna mess this up, won't I?'

'Now why would you say that?' Mrs. Williamson frowned. That basically was because it was their first time as an attempt to become halfway through a normal couple 'You and Mr. Mikealson look absolutely perfect for each other. I do not understand why the two of you are stressing over this.' She shook her head lightly

Caroline blinked, momentarily stunned 'What? Nik is nervous, too?' the idea felt somewhat surreal. Klaus did not do nervous, but hearing it made her smile. It was very flattering to know that she was making the Original Hybrid nervous, not to mention very cute as well.

'Oh, well, he just does not want to ruin things as he would like to keep muttering' Mrs. Williamson commented lightly. By the looks of it, the kind elderly lady was enjoying witnessing the young couple in love, and for some reason it made Caroline curious to learn more about her. Other than that she kept wondering whether the poor lady was compelled or simply staying under threatening. Neither of those thoughts appealed to Caroline the least bit. It actually gave her a jerk of unexplainable guilt although she had no hand in the fate of those who Klaus had deemed as his own puppies. Caroline shuddered, furrowing her brows.

'Now, you mustn't look so distressed, miss' Mrs. Williamson said sternly 'You should smile. There is a wonderful man who loves you waiting for you downstairs. You are supposed to be the happiest person in the world, miss.' The lady gently said, her eyes shifting between the dresses as her hand ran over them, feeling the fabric 'And from what I've seen you feel the same way about him'

'Is it really so obvious that I'm in love with him so much?' Caroline groaned, blushing as though embarrassed for being quite so crystal-clear about her feelings.

'Just as clear as the fact that he loves you, too' Mrs. Williamson meaningfully smiled.

Caroline smiled like a cute seventeen years old girl who had just been told that someone had a crush on her, except for the drastically different feeling of giddiness that shot through her.

'Well,' Mrs. Williamson said after a short moment of silence 'I believe you should go with the black dress, Miss'

'You think?' Caroline uncertainly said.

'Yes. I very much encourage you' she smiled with that kind gleam present in her eyes 'You will look absolutely breathtaking, darling'

'Thank you' Caroline smiled hugely.

Still, her nerves were not the least bit calmer, nor remotely comforted.

_Relax, it's not like you're getting married! _

_It isn't? Because it sure as hell feels like I am! _

By the time Mrs. Williamson was done with Caroline's hair (She had kindly offered to take care of it instead of Caroline's shaky hands), Caroline had a list of what subjects she should not approach. The list mainly consisted of everything that might complicate the situation, or lead the evening into an unlikable route, which meant no talking about her friends, his bloody or tragic past, his habit of killing people, compelling them, pushing them away, and no talking about her father or his family. It also meant that she was gradually aware of what she had actually gotten herself into. Klaus's life was pretty screwed up to say the least, and being in a relationship with him meant being in relationship with his tantrums as well. Alright, maybe Caroline had underestimated the difficulty of the situation, but by no means she was about to allow that to ruin her evening with him. She wanted to stay dangling between clouds for as long as possible before the inevitable would happen. The mention of clouds flashed an image in her head of that dreadful dream she had had three weeks before or so. She shuddered at the recollection and forced it out of her mind. Nothing was going to ruin that night for her, not even her nerves.

* * *

'You look stunning…' Klaus huskily said 'Like always' his eyes contemplated the breathtaking beauty as they took Caroline in. his eyes wandered from the blonde locks that were styled much like the time in Mikealson's ball, to the black, silky dress that clung to her body in all the right places, showing less cleavage than he would have liked, but revealed her back entirely to dazzle him. His breath was caught in his throat as she slowly approached him with an angelic smile occupying her happy face, her scent making it hard for him to contain himself, invading his senses.

'Thank you' she softly said, her own expression dazzled. Imagine her shock when she stepped out of her room into a field of lit candles and red roses. A grin was plastered across her face as she made her way downstairs to meet Klaus looking as handsome as he had always been with his navy-blue tux. There was soft music playing as he greeted her with a mesmerized expression, a happy smile occupying his face as she stepped closer to him. It was only then that Caroline internally laughed at herself. The reason behind her extreme nervousness seemed so absurd that she could not even remember what it was in the first place, being with Klaus not only felt heavenly, but right and oddly familiar at the same time. It felt like everything fell into place when his lips touched hers, and his hand held hers. It felt like everything else quieted to listen to their unspoken words, the words that lost all meaning when said, but held all beauty when spoken through their sparkling eyes.

'I hope this isn't too much' he said, gesturing to their surroundings, somewhat seeming nervous.

Caroline's heart melted as the notion of that hit her that when he began to say something she cut him off with her lips, passionately crushing them to his and bringing him closer to her. Yes, like expected, lipstick was not required, and too much lip gloss would just get in the way. What was the point of it if she knew it would be gone as soon as she laid her eyes on him, anyway?

They were both breathless when she released him. Staring into his blue eyes, she smiled radiantly at him.

'I guess it's not too much, then' he mused, smirking cockily, forcing her to roll her eyes.

'One more thing' he said between chuckles, extracting the familiar dark-blue, velvet box. Slowly, without exactly meeting Caroline's eyes, he opened it, revealing the beautiful, shiny piece of jewelry that she had rejected many times, too many times 'Something to complete your outfit' he uncertainly offered.

Caroline nodded firmly, taking the bracelet from the small box. Klaus was fast to help her wear it. His hand lingered on her wrist, but unlike the first time, it did not make Caroline the least bit uncomfortable. She immediately shook off the idea of the familiar scene of their first dinner was actually not at all far.

'I'm so keeping this, by the way' she teasingly smirked at him.

'I'd like nothing more than that' Klaus gently confessed, his eyes burning with that fiery gaze she loved so much.

Neither of them missed the hidden meaning behind that bracelet.

* * *

Klaus had planned for them to have dinner at the castle. Being quite observant when it came to Caroline, he had somehow discovered that she considered his castle to be very romantic. He gently led her to the dining room, where it was dimly lit by a canopy of candles, adorned with red roses on every corner of the room, music adding beautiful harmony to the already breathtaking scenery. There were two men standing on each end of the room, ready to comply to their every order.

Klaus was leading her to the table when she stopped him

'Wait' she said, stopping dead in her tracks, which made him stop, slightly surprised by her sudden outburst 'I want to take a picture' she slowly confessed.

Klaus chuckled, shaking his head slightly.

'What? I'm not allowed to take a picture?' she raised her eyebrows at him defiantly.

'Of course you are allowed, love, you can do as you please' Klaus said, his face turning serious.

'Good' she firmly said. She quickly extracted her phone from her clutch and one of the two men rushed towards them before she could even ask. She smiled to the gentleman appreciatively and handed him the phone. Klaus immediately wrapped his arm round her waist, pulling her close to him as she placed a hand over his chest, snuggling closer to him.

'Perfect' the man said with a small smile as he returned the phone to Caroline.

'Thank you' Caroline gently said. Her eyes glued to the beautiful picture so that she did not notice the astonished expression on Klaus's face.

Klaus pulled her chair for her as they sat on the table, and the other man immediately stepped closer to the table and poured wine into their glasses. Klaus's eyes were lingering on Caroline's every move as she settled down on the table, smoothing her dress, and settling herself on the table. She mesmerized him, simply mesmerized him. A part of him was slightly frightened by how important she had become to him, how she gradually became his everything, how she captured his heart between her hands until it belonged to her like it never belonged to anyone else, how even his human love did not exceed to the limit of addiction like she had become to him. The dominant part of him, though, was the happy one, the one that saw the look in her beautiful blue eyes and knew as a fact that she felt the same way about him, the part that made him glow with happiness whenever she was near him, sending shockwaves through him whenever he touched her, filling his mind with nothing but the thought of her every second of every day, the part that wanted nothing but her presence and cared for nothing but her love.

'What?' Caroline asked, smiling nervously upon meeting his dreamy gaze.

'Nothing' Klaus whispered gently 'Just thinking of how breathtakingly beautiful you are'

As usual, Caroline turned tomato red on his compliment, casting her gaze to the silverware in front of her and biting her lower lip as a shy smile occupied her face. Klaus couldn't help but smile at how adorable she was.

'Would you like me to bring your meal, sir?' the man asked.

Klaus looked at Caroline for confirmation and she nodded

'Yes, we would very much like that, Mark' Klaus informed

The two men had left the room after serving Klaus and Caroline their meal, leaving the young couple alone. The meal was not only delicious, but also was the best Caroline had ever had. Of course that was not caused by the tasty food, but by the presence of Klaus and the way he treated her. No words were uttered through the whole meal, only meaningful, attentive and loving glances. Caroline had always thought that not talking during a date would be the ultimate awkwardness, but that proved wrong with Klaus. Their silence held something far more valuable than words, held a language beyond words as their glistening eyes locked together, reading in each other all the mesmerizing emotions, all the beautiful divine feelings, all those breathtaking sensations that made living far too exciting, that made happiness seem so much more than just a simply hollow spoken word, that made love feel far more significant than all else.

By the end of the meal all what little was left of Caroline's doubts had completely vanished. A certain fact was known in her heart that she loved Klaus and that he, too, loved her.

He asked her for a dance 'May I have this dance?' he said, offering his hand and kissing hers as she nodded and placed it in his, with her radiant smile intact to her face, the smile that he was growing more and more addicted to. She giggled as the music switched to a rapid pace that was suitable for only 1800s.

'I don't know how to dance o this' she told him between chuckles

'Follow my lead, love' he said smiling as he wrapped one arm around her waist, his other hand taking hers 'Don't worry love, I'll never let you fall' he assured her, whispering near her ear. Caroline gasped, understanding the true meaning behind his words. She believed him. He had already proved once that he would always be there for her when she needed him most, even if she did not know it was him who she needed.

He led her through the dance as she happily giggled, the rapid moves of the dance taking her breath away. He, too, was laughing heartedly as his eyes took in the sight of her happy face, her cheerfulness infecting him. Caroline's eyes filled up with tears at that moment. That was him. That was the real Niklaus Mikealson, the sensitive artist, the attentive lover, the pleasant companion, the long crushed soul. It was those rare moments he had when he looked completely human that she loved so much, more than anything else. The moments when she could see herself fifty years from now walking hand in hand down the street with him. The moments when living without him felt too impossible, too suffocating that the mere thought made her heart clench in her chest. The moments when what she felt for him was far too mesmerizing, too overwhelming that her chest seemed like it was about to explode from all the heartfelt sentiments.

The music calmed, but they did not stop dancing. Almost lazily, they swayed to the music, finding pleasure in each other's closeness rather in the act of dancing. Klaus sighed contentedly, feeling Caroline in his arms, melting against him, her head resting on his shoulder. Unlike any other time they danced. They let their passion slowly burn them, their hearts singing with delight as they enveloped each other with endlessly warm sensations.

'I love you' Caroline said, unable to hold it back anymore.

'I love you, too' Klaus simply said the three words that turned Caroline's world upside down, making it impossible for her to imagine her life without him.

'Since you do love me,' Caroline started lightly, teasing 'let's leave Scotland. Take me somewhere else' she hesitantly requested

'Wherever you want, love' Klaus gently whispered

'Take me somewhere where the sky is as blue as your eyes and the sun as warm as your embrace' she said burying her face in his chest

'You have a poet in you, Sweet Caroline' he teased smiling instead of gulping down at her words, like the way he truly felt.

Caroline, too, smiled. The words had left her mouth before she could even process them, and for the first time, she did not regret having a babbling tongue.

'I'll take you, love, wherever you want' he huskily told her, squeezing her hand gently.

'Thank you' she lifted her eyes to his.

They both softly gasped as their eyes locked together, their features speaking of absolute love. Slowly and gently, he leaned in, his lips finding hers again. He kissed her slowly, very slowly, taking his time to taste her, taking his time to ignite the fire between them, savoring the feeling of having her close to him, so close that he could feel her touching his heart as it jumped between his ribs. Caroline moaned as his tongue invaded her mouth. How come kissing him always felt like it was the first time she had ever been kissed? How come his touch felt like it erased every other time she had been ever touched? Was it the gentleness behind it or the feeling it provoked from her? She did not know, all she knew was that no one had ever, that no one will ever touch or kiss her like Klaus did.

* * *

He smiled as she snuggled in closer to him, sighing lazily in her deep sleep. He kept her close to him, with his arm swooped under her neck, hugging her chest, her back was pressed against his chest closely to the point that if his heart had still been beating she would have felt its beats, as his other hand gently stroked her blonde curls. Keeping her close was all he could do to be able to believe that he was not dreaming, so he could feel that her presence in his life was reality, not a fantasy that his mind had created, that the way she felt about him was as real as the way he felt about her. There was warmth spreading through him as she moved even closer to him, that her head was resting on his shoulder, the beautiful blonde locks brushing his chest delicately.

'Niklaus' she murmured sleepily

'Yes, love' he whispered

'Don't ever leave me' she breathed. It was only then that Klaus realized that she was talking in her sleep which made his smile widen.

'I would never leave you, love' He softly muttered.

'I can't live without you' she sleepily confessed.

Klaus's eyes formed tears, almost like he could not believe his ears. Those simple words felt like the most beautiful of songs he had ever heard, the most beautiful thing his ears would ever register.

'I could never live without you, either, my Sweet Caroline' He gently breathed, tightening his grip around her.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Please review, means a LOT to me :D**

**I'll try to update soon. **

**KBYETHANX **


	23. Drawings

**I KNOW! I'm turning to this incredibly bad updater! I am SO SORRY, but I've been so BUSY. You know life ;)**

**So, first of all, thanks for all the love on the last chapter :D I'm so glad you guys found it romantic. Second of all, this chapter is also romantic. But I promise you troubles are on their way. I'm actually starting to think that this might turn out to be more than 30 chapters. Lets not get ahead of ourselves, though.**

**Anyways, happy reading guys :D I really hope you don't get bored of romance quickly, that's kinda hard to believe, though :P**

* * *

**23: Drawings **

'Spain' Caroline exclaimed 'I wanna go to Spain' she enthusiastically requested, snuggling closer to a smiling Klaus on the wide bed.

'I thought you'd want to go to Tokyo' he faked annoyance, frowning playfully.

'I do wanna go to Tokyo' she assured him, adding in a whisper 'And Paris and Rome' she counted, tracing circles on his perfect chest 'but I really wanna go to Spain first'

'Of course, Sweet Caroline' he mused, taking her hand in his 'your wish is my command. And since I have ruined your plans of going to Spain before, I will try to make it up to you in the best way possible' his voice dropped to a whisper as he cupped her cheek softly, the expression of absolute happiness she wore taking his breath away. He held her loving gaze, returning it with the most tender of looks ever.

She couldn't help but feel a flutter in her stomach at the sight of his relaxed, handsomely angelic expression. Too surreal it was to believe that she could make the Original hybrid so gentle, so tender, so human whenever she was around him.

'I'm kinda glad you ruined my plans' she admitted sheepishly. That was not completely honest, though. She wasn't _kind of _glad that he had ruined her plans, she was _completely and very _glad that he had ruined her plans. Nonetheless admitting it out loud was too frightening, for admitting it to herself was quite scary. Increasingly, she realized that her life was being shaped around Klaus and the idea that he could break her so easily made it hard to stay at ease sometimes. In such a frighteningly short time, Klaus had gained so much power over her, made her fall in love with him so deeply, and feel so much passion towards him that none of her previous relationships had exceeded to such limits before.

'I'm sure you are, love' he teased causing her to playfully slap his shoulder.

'Did you just dare to slap the Original Hybrid?' his tone was serious, but his face miserably failed to show sternness as a grin was stubbornly present across his dimpled cheeks.

'Yes I did' she shrugged casually 'what are you gonna do about it?' she raised her eyebrows suggestively

'I can think of a million things'

Quickly, he switched their positions, pinning her down on the mattress and crashing his lips to her.

She melted against him, sighing and moaning as his hands ran down her bare sides and hitched her legs around his waist, groaning at the feeling of having her against him her hands tracing the lines of his chest and abs, and making their to the muscles of his back.

'Well, that's hell of a punishment' she breathlessly said when he let go of her lips to trace a line of hot kisses down her jawline and neck. He made his way back to her lips, brushing his lips against hers without actually kissing her, she closed the gap between their lips, but he cruelly pulled away, staring intensely into her eyes. A smirk occupied his lips when she whimpered.

'Please don't stop your punishment?' she finally gave in, batting her eyelashes

He chuckled 'Your wish is my command, Miss Forbes'

He said, taking her lips in his again.

* * *

It turned out they were leaving the same day. Within two phone calls, as Caroline slid into the shower, they were set for their departure.

'Where in Spain are we going exactly?' Caroline asked him as she stepped out of his shower which she took the liberty to use and he did not seem to mind at all.

'Everywhere' Klaus answered her, ending the last call 'But we are heading to Barcelona first, we'll be staying there for one week' he approached her where she stood in front of the full length mirror drying her hair with a towel 'I have a villa there and it's an absolutely breathtaking city. I'm certain you'll love It.' he whispered, wrapping his arms around her waist. A smile broke its way to her face.

'That's what I've heard' she muttered, leaning back against him and resting her head on his shoulder, dropping the towel she was drying her hair with.

He kissed her bare shoulder gently.

'This feels nice' she muttered, completely contented with their calm position. Despite the fact that he spent the whole morning making love to her, he seemed to want her whenever she stood before him, with her sweet scent filling his nostrils, her golden locks loose, framing her beautiful face, her pink lips inviting him whenever they said his name, her blue eyes pulling him in and the way her hips swayed lazily as she walked, she had all power over him. She could make him do whatever she wanted by simply batting her eyelashes. And as he held her in his arms, he could not help but tense at the recollection of a fact that he had been hiding from her and refusing to think about in the first place, a fact that might destroy everything should it reemerge.

Well, some things were better left unsaid.

'What's wrong?' Caroline asked noting the stiffness of his posture instantly.

'Nothing's wrong, love' he assured her with a smile that did not reach his eyes.

Not believing him, she turned around in his embrace, cradling his face in her hands, and forcing him to look into her eyes

'Obviously there's something wrong' she muttered, furrowing her brows slightly

'Nothing's wrong, Sweet Caroline' he insisted 'I'm just so happy that you're here' he gave her his adorable dimpled-smile  
'Are you sure?' she was doubtful still, as he tightened his grip around her waist.  
'Nothing is wrong, my love, I promise' he assured her.

She seemed startled for a second before reuniting her lips with his urgently, pulling him into a passionate kiss as her hands got lost in his hair. He sighed contentedly into the kiss, his tongue invading her mouth, pressing his body against hers.

'Wow' Klaus breathlessly chuckled once the kiss inevitably broke. With his forehead pressed to hers, he returned her shaky smile with one of his own 'what did I do to deserve that?'

'You called me "_my _love"' she whispered, grinning.

Klaus chuckled 'Well, I will always call you my love, then, my love'

As always, he managed to distract her even though he did not exactly mean for it to be a distraction, the word had simply left his mouth without him being aware of it. Nonetheless, the look she had seen earlier was soon forgotten as she buried her face in his chest, lightly laughing.

* * *

Klaus had his own jet plane. It might as well have been a presidential one since Caroline could not help but be flabbergasted upon finding out their method of transportation.

'Oh my God?' she mouthed 'you weren't kidding when you said you could get us seats in a better class' she smiled, planting a sweet kiss on his cheek.

They sat in silence during the take-off, enjoying each other's presence quietly. When the plane finally settled and they had switched their position to the comfortable leather sofa rather than the plane's ordinary seats, Caroline extracted a book from her handbag. She read silently, but her eyes seemed to shift their attention to Klaus repeatedly, glancing at his calm posture as he sketched calmly, sitting a considerably far distance away from her. He caught her a couple of times, for he, too, had his own share of glances, and grinned at her which made her shyly drop her gaze back to the book.

'War and Peace?' Klaus finally mused, raising an eyebrow at her when his eyes finally allowed him to take notice of the book rather than its holder.

'Well, yeah, it's been on my to-read list since forever. I figured it was finally the time to read it' she said, shrugging.

'Of course, love. It's quite fascinating. In fact, it's one of my favorites' Klaus casually remarked.

'That's another reason why I'm reading it' she muttered without looking at him.

'Is it?' he smirked.

'Just want to get to know you better' she confessed 'You watched my favorite movie just so you can know why it makes me cry' she noted without hiding how flattering that felt or how cute she found it.

'Right' he nodded. It sounded like a million years ago since the Titanic incident, when they sat to discuss the Jack and Rose relationship. Back then Caroline had been disappointed when she learned his views about relationships even though she did not quite admit it. And a part of her always feared that that had not completely changed. Their relationship was still new and fresh, untouched b bothersome encounters and inevitable fights, who knew how Klaus would react once they would encounter a real problem. Would he push her away again? Would he shut off his feelings? Would his fear dominate him leading him to give up on everything?

Caroline shook off her thoughts lightly.

'What's _your_ favorite book?' he asked, scooting closer to her on the leather couch.

'Well, I'm not much of a reader' Caroline casually started, closing the remaining distance between them 'But I think Wuthering Heights is the best thing I've ever read'

'It's a remarkable piece of literature, indeed' Klaus nodded, seeming impressed with her choice.

'I especially liked Heathcliff's character' Caroline noted. Thinking about it then, she couldn't help but realize how Heathcliff and Klaus had a lot of eerie similarities; the way their dark side dominated their personalities and hid whatever good they had in them, how they both seemed absolutely dreadful while in fact they were both simply lost souls, the way they both pursued vengeance above all and tried to draw people towards themselves out of fear rather than love for neither believed they could be loved 'He has a very complex character' Caroline added, muttering absently.

'Truly' Klaus nodded slowly, his gaze locked with her thoughtful one and he seemed to know exactly what was going through Caroline's mind. He admitted that relating to Heathcliff was rather easy, but his heart clenched in his chest whenever Heathcliff's unbearably miserable life ended in an unbearably miserable way. More than anything Klaus feared that his own unbearably miserable life would continue its torture until the very end.

But maybe, just _maybe _that would change now that he had Caroline.

_Do not give yourself false hope, Klaus. _He thought as a sad glimpse flashed in his eyes.

'What do you have here?' Caroline broke eye-contact, taking the sketching pad from him. He was about to protest but she stopped him with a raised eyebrow.

Flipping through the pages, Caroline couldn't help but gasp. The sketching pad was full of drawings of herself, from the very beginning to halfway through it where he last drew a picture a few minutes before. She was there in every position, once smiling radiantly as she looked up wearing her morning robe with her hair slightly a mess, once covered only in sheets seductively, once sitting at a table looking down at her lap with a hint of smile on her face, once wearing nothing but sexy lingerie, once smiling in her sleep, once gazing lovingly onwards as her chin rested on a man's chest and all the way to the position she was holding only a few minutes before, sitting cross legged with her book in her hands, her hair tucked behind her ear as she looked up from the book smiling.

'Niklaus' Caroline breathed 'These are beautiful'

'They hardly do you justice, my love' he softly said, placing a finger under her chin so he could gaze into her dazzled expression.

Caroline smiled shakily at his compliment 'So what, you just sit there and draw me the whole time?' she teased, averting her gaze from his, back to the drawings in front of her.

'Yes' simply he said causing her eyes to snap back to his burning gaze that she loved so much 'You're my biggest muse, Sweet Caroline' he whispered, slowly bringing up a hand to caress her cheek gently with his fingers.

'That's good' she whispered against his lips 'Because I'd kill you if I wasn't'

Klaus chuckled before she shut him up with a sweet kiss

* * *

The villa was everything Caroline expected it to be. It was vast in space, elegant in its décor, and smelled of old wood despite its relatively modern appearance. It seemed like everything Klaus touched was infected by his wisdom, even modernity had the air of old age when he touched it.

She roamed freely through the ground floor, her eyes not quite noticing her surroundings but the paintings that were hung there. The collection was more varied than the one back at Scotland. Some of them were much like the one he had painted in the Ritz; things that were dark and filled with meanings behind them, others were landscapes, and a bunch was of sad-faced people. But it was a certain painting that caught Caroline's attention. A familiar-looking woman in 1920s attire was leaning on a table, her elbow resting on it as she propped her head on her wrist with a genuine smile intact to her full lips. It was not how remarkable the painting was that drew Caroline's attention to it for all Klaus's paintings were outstanding, nor was it the centered position it had in the hallway, but it was the fact that the woman in that painting was the only one with clear features which made it seem like a real life picture rather than his imagination. Caroline needed a good minute before she realized that the woman in the painting was no one other than Klaus's little sister Rebekah and she could not help but smile at the realization of that. Her eyes wandered to Klaus where he stood in the doorway with their bags in his hands. Despite what all everyone said, Klaus cared about his family. In his own twisted, sick way he cared an awful lot about them; even if he did not admit it to himself.

'Do you like it?' he asked setting the bags down, unaware of where Caroline was standing.

'Yes I do' Caroline smiled 'I like it very much' she especially liked the swimming pool at the back. The weather was getting warm and it was just right for a swim.

_A swim with Niklaus, _she bit her lip at her own thought.

As they descended the stairs towards the second floor, Caroline caught a glimpse of two small drawings of what she thought were Elijah and Kol in ancient history and couldn't help but be amazed.

'How come there aren't any pictures of your siblings back at the castle?' Caroline blurted.

He seemed a little caught off guard, his reply coming rather hesitant 'They don't go to the castle that much, except for Elijah, of course. But they come here almost frequently, especially Kol now'

'So we do have a chance of running into Kol, then?' Caroline tried to hide the shock in her voice that his siblings actually knew of those places and had the permission to use them. Other than the complete shock the fact that he indirectly tried to show them how much he cared through his paintings caused.

'A very slight chance' Klaus casually said, stopping in front one of the many doors and opening it.

The room was as big as his room back at the castle, but with more evidence of modernity, especially in the grand marble bathroom, and like the one in the castle, it had a balcony that overlooked the pool and a king-sized bed.

'This will be our room' Klaus stated.

'_Our _room?' Caroline raised an eyebrow at him.

'If you'd like.' he quickly corrected nervously 'I can get you your own room if you'd prefer that'

'hmmm' Caroline thoughtfully teased, stepping into the room and looking it over 'No, that's fine' she shrugged carelessly 'I'm fine with it'

'That's good' Klaus firmly said, approaching her 'Because I'd kill you if you weren't' he teased. She laughed before briefly pressing her lips to his.

Caroline was unpacking, or rather invading Klaus's closet as he shook his head lightly in disbelief, and chatting casually with Klaus when he cut off the subject of his having a house in London but not taking her to it because he did not want her to be uncomfortable, addressing her with a hint of mischief in his voice.

'Yes?' she turned around to face his standing figure as he smirked at her carrying a lacy, red bra she had once bought from Victoria's Secret. She raised an eyebrow at him.

'I like this one' he grinned.

'Really?' she asked raised an eyebrow at him, slightly smiling.

'Really' he confirmed, looking her over as though stripping her.

She approached him slowly, taking the tiny piece of clothing from him 'I bet you'll like it more when I'm wearing it' she seductively said.

'Why don't we find out?' he whispered before stealing another intense kiss from those beautiful lips. The kiss immediately heated up as he lifted her from the ground and she wrapped her legs around his waist, her hands dumping the small piece of lingerie and reaching down the collar of his shirt to whatever skin they could reach instead. He caressed her back, his tongue exploring her mouth.

She gasped for breath as he broke the kiss

'I thought you wanted to see me wearing the bra' she mused, panting.

'Later' was all he said before resuming kissing her impatiently, his hand reaching under her shirt to unclasp her bra. He was not thinking of her getting dressed, but of her getting undressed.

'Niklaus' came a deep voice from the doorway.

_Oh, right! They forgot to close the door! _

Their heads snapped towards the intruder who was no one but Klaus's older brother Elijah, looking not only embarrassed, but purely and utterly shocked 'I am deeply sorry. I wasn't told you had company' Elijah quickly apologized.

Caroline swallowed loudly, untangling herself from Klaus.

_Oh no! _

That was definitely _not _how she wanted to meet Elijah as the brother of her umm…err … _boyfriend? _Making out with his brother and one step away from doing it was surely the ultimately wrong impression, not to mention the most awkward position of all times.

'Elijah' Klaus casually said, unaffected by what had just occurred 'I did not think I'd be seeing you here, brother' he mused, approaching the still slightly shocked Elijah (who was about to leave, but Klaus stopped him) in the doorway and shaking his hand firmly.

'It's good to see you, brother' Elijah sincerely confessed.

'It's good to see you, too, Elijah' Klaus casually said.

Caroline took that opportunity to rearrange the mess of her hair and clothes, and kick the red bra that lay on the floor further into the room, hoping that that was enough to keep it out of sight.

'Elijah, you've met Caroline before' Klaus said gesturing for Caroline to come closer.

'Indeed I have' Elijah politely said.

'It's nice to see you again' Caroline smiled shakily.

'Likewise, Miss Forbes' Elijah gave a slight bow. His face was composed and neutral, but his eyes carried a million question mixed with infinite confusion.

_I know Elijah; it's a shock to me as much as it's a shock to you!_

* * *

The inevitable came. Klaus and Elijah had darted off the villa to talk about private matters and Caroline was left alone in the balcony of her room with Klaus watching the sunset with the most anxious expression that mirrored her thoughts on her face. She tried to think of everything except of what she had to do, like wonder where Klaus was planning to take her, or what places she would be seeing with him, or what he and Elijah did. She tried to picture how a typical meeting between Klaus and Elijah went, what kind of subjects took place, whether Klaus actually confessed how appreciative he was for what his brother was willing to do for him, or if Elijah had ever told him how much he meant to him that he could not leave him to death. As she saw it, the two of them needed a serious talk to let everything off of their chests.

All thoughts were shaken, though, as she clutched the phone in her hands, her nerves making them tremble as she pushed the buttons on her phone. That was it, it was the moment to decide whether she had to lose a friend or lose Klaus, whether she would be considered as a traitor or not, whether she would have to take sides or not. Caroline did not even want to think of what she would have to do if Elena had decided to hate her for the rest of eternity, she did not want to think of what her decision would be should it come down to choosing between her friends and the man she loved so much. If both sides were not tolerant with her she would ultimately be torn apart. She knew if it came down to a choice she would lose both her friends and Klaus no matter whom she would choose. If she left her friends for Klaus she would eventually resent him. She would blame him for being the reason she lost the most important people in her life and having to shape her world around him, even if he had no hand in her final decision. And should it be otherwise, she would resent her friends for tearing her happiness apart, for taking away from her the man she loved. If it ever came down to a choice, she knew she would lose both sides one sooner and the other later. And she could do nothing about it but hope that it would never come down to that.

'Hello' Elena's gentle voice answered.

'Hey, Elena' Caroline said rather nervously.

'Hey, Care, how are you?' Elena's voice came shaky as well.

'I'm good. How are you?' Caroline muttered.

'I'm good, too' the other murmured

_She must know, _Caroline thought, _I mean my deal with Klaus should have been over by now. _

'Elena,' Caroline inhaled deeply 'we need to talk'

'I know' Elena quietly answered 'I'm listening, Care' A part of her already knew what Caroline was about to say, yet she refused to think about it, pushing it to the very back of her mind.

_OK, it's like taking off a bandage. Quick, clear sentences are all you need. _

'Elena, I'm in love with Klaus'

* * *

**So this is it! Remember reviews are very much loved, I really wanna know what you guys think. Should I drop the whole romance thing and start with the explosive fights already, or should I give you another chapter of cuteness and them opening up to each other? I promise I'll take into consideration what you think :D**

**I can't promise that updates will get any faster, though, so sorry guys. Please forgive me?**

**KBYETHANKS**


	24. Nik Klaus

**Hello everyone! Sorry for being so late with this update but I got held back! I hope you like this one, it's a mixture of drama and romance so I like it. No long rant tonight, I'm too tired :P However, if you want to talk, rant, fangirl about TVD's season 4 premier PLEASE PM ME! I'd love nothing more than to have a TVD-related conversation, but you know that already ;D**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**24: Nik Klaus **

Silence, silence and endless silence was all Caroline could hear. She heard the sound of wind gushing warm air. She heard the sound of distant insects making an appearance at night. She heard the clatter of silverware from downstairs. She even heard the sound of night setting in, the sound of its extreme quietness as it enveloped the universe with infinite mystery that more than often turned into fright. Caroline heard everything from everywhere except for the soft voice of her dear friend, except for her friend's even breathing. There was nothing. Not a word, not a breath, not a single sound. Nothing but silence; hurtful, painful, extreme silence, a silence that seemed to know no limits and exceeded for the length of a thousand years as Caroline's grip started to loosen around the phone and her tears started to trickle down her face.

She did not dare to call after her friend. She did not dare to beg for her forgiveness. All she could do was hope that Elena would say something; that Elena would do anything other than be endlessly silent.

'He…' Elena's voice shook, her sentences breaking, her mind racing with a billion thoughts that tangled up to form this unsolvable net of entwined half-thoughts.

Caroline held her breath, tears streaming down her face heavily still.

'He…' Elena's voice broke again, however her sentence finally made an appearance 'He killed Jenna' was the only thing she could say.

'I'm sorry' Caroline harshly bit down on her lower lip that she could taste blood on her mouth. She knew that would be the biggest issue, she knew that of all the things that Klaus had done that was the one that stood out as the most unforgivable 'It just happened'

'When you say his name' Elena said through what Caroline couldn't figure out whether it was gritted teeth or streaming tears 'I cringe, Caroline, because the only thing I see is the man who killed my aunt. All I can see is the man who used me as his blood bank. All I can see is the man who made my boyfriend bite me and turned my life to this gigantic hell-hole that I don't know how to get out of, and now you are telling me that you are in love with him?' Elena could not hide the judgmental accusing tone in her voice, nor the slight sarcasm that had invaded its gentleness.

'I know it's hard to believe, Elena, and I know that it must sound terrible, but he's not just a monster. I've seen sides of him I never thought existed' Caroline desperately tried to reason with her.

'Yeah? And that's just supposed to make it feel better? It's just supposed to let me forget everything else he's ever done?' the other mocked

'No, of course not, but you have to know that he's different with me' Caroline merely whispered

'Different?' Elena mused 'I don't know if that says more about him or you, Caroline'

'What does that suppose to mean?' Caroline slowly asked, unsure if she really wanted to know what Elena truly meant

'It means, Caroline, that I don't know if him being different with you makes him look good, or makes you look bad because you were willing to turn your back on your friends and sleep with their enemy just because he was "different" with you' Elena's no-longer-gentle voice told Caroline coldly, almost cruelly.

'Elena it was not like that' Caroline tried to reason again, the reason behind her tears mingling between guilt, hurt, and shame 'It did not just happen, he's proved himself to me'

'And what about Tyler? He hadn't been dead for a month, Caroline, how come you got over him so quickly?' Elena accused again 'Silly me for thinking that you actually loved him'

'But I did, Elena' Caroline pleaded 'I loved him, and I love you all, and as hard and as twisted as you may think it is but I love Klaus, too. I don't want to have to choose between you and him, please' Caroline's anger was about to surface as well, but the constant reminder that it was her who betrayed everyone was enough to leash it back.

'Why?' Elena firmly asked anger evident in her voice 'Why can't you choose? Because it'll be him or because you can't choose a side?'

'Because I can't choose a side, Elena' Caroline slumped her hands in frustration 'I need you both in my life'

'So he became that important within a month? He became so important that you can't choose between him and your friends, the people you've known your whole life?' Elena almost disbelievingly said.

'I'm in love with him, Elena' Caroline tried again 'Please understand that'

'Yeah but I don't, Caroline' Elena huffed in frustration 'Every time you say that you love him the only image that flashes through my head is him staking aunt Jenna with this disgusting smirk on his face and you standing next to him, doing nothing as he tears our life apart'

'So now he's the only person who's done bad things?' Caroline spat 'What about Damon? Wasn't he the one who abused me, used me as his own toy and practically raped me? How come you forgave him so easily and allowed yourself to fall in love with him without even asking me how I felt about it or whether I had gotten over it? Did he not hurt me, too? How's that any different?' Caroline asked firmly. Some things were bound to be out in the opened in friendships no matter how long the truth got held back. This was one of the moments where ending the conversation would be the only suitable solution to avoid further damage, both girls were reaching their highest levels of anger and frustration and hurtful words ought to escape their mouths, and words that cut like knife was what they said.

'Well, I'm sorry but it's not my fault that you jumped into bed with him as soon as you laid eyes on him, just like you did with Klaus. Because that's what you do, Caroline, you jump into bed with whoever you make eye contact with' Elena snapped.

Caroline gritted her teeth 'You know nothing about what happened between me and Niklaus. And I am not the one who kept torturing two brothers and tearing them apart because I couldn't make a choice between them, Elena' As soon as the words escaped her mouth, she regretted them. However, it was considered rather irrelevant to feel guilty for Elena had equally insulted her, practically calling her a slut just to defend the actions of Damon even when he had no excuse for what he had done, and partly to defend herself as well, the thing that Caroline had begun in the first place when she defended Klaus.

'You know what, Caroline I can't even talk to you right now 'Elena hurriedly said 'Call me when you and _Niklaus _are no longer an item, so I can actually think that there is still some sense in your head'

And that was it. The line went dead. The phone call ended and Caroline heard her silent breathing along with the beeping sound. Shakily, she pressed end, the image of her and Klaus in the background of her phone greeting her as the screen cleared. She contemplated their happy faces for a good minute, taking in the happily dimpled smile on his face, the way he wrapped his arm around her, the beautiful spark in his eyes, and how her face seemed to glow with happiness at his mere nearness. In that picture, she looked happy, genuinely happy, unlike any other picture where her radiant smile was nothing but a façade that hid the troubles in her mind. For the first time in so long she felt happy and contented, until the dream broke by the mere notion that the reason of her happiness would be the reason of her misery as well.

Her next movement was so sudden that it even surprised her. She threw the cellphone across the balcony forcefully, the device banging roughly against the glassy doors and falling to the ground with shattering noise, leaving a small crack in the glass. A low, frustrated growl escaped her before she burst into tears and collapsed to the ground with her back leaning against the fence. This was not what Caroline had in mind for her conversation with Elena. Of course she hardly expected it to go smoothly, but cruelly taunting each other was not what she had meant. Like feared, she probably lost Elena as a friend, and Bonnie might follow soon. This was the moment she had feared for so long, the moment where she would be torn apart and then loses it all.

Another violent sob escaped her as she brought her knees up to her chest, hugging them close to her, attempting desperately to keep herself together. She buried her face between her knees, surrendering to the stream of tears that flooded from her eyes.

'Caroline?' came his silky voice anxious 'Where are you, love?' he inquired before noting the mess in the balcony. She lifted her face to see his standing figure in the doorway of the balcony with a worried expression mixed with confusion. Just when she thought she could never be happier at the sight of him that proved wrong for a rush of unexplainable comfort rushed through her.

'What's happened, my love?' Klaus asked coming closer to her.

Caroline immediately rose to her feet, throwing herself in his arms and burying her face in his chest. He responded quickly, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tighter as she sobbed uncontrollably into his chest.

'What happened, sweetheart?' he gently asked her, tightening his grip around her.

Klaus could not fully understand her broken sentences, but he could guess that it had something to do with her friends, particularly Elena, and he knew, for a fact, that it had everything to do with their relationship. He sighed in frustration.

'It's OK, love' he tried to reassure her 'She'll come around. You're her friend'

'No she won't' Caroline said between sobs 'She hates me'

'No one can ever hate you, Caroline' he whispered softly 'she doesn't understand it, yet. She just needs time, that's all'

'What if she doesn't come around?' Caroline whispered barely audibly.

He moved away a little so he could cradle her tears-smeared face and look into her eyes, gently wiping her tears from her soft cheeks. His heart clenched at the sight of her pain, and it did not feel the slightest bit comfortable for him to realize that it was partly, or rather entirely, his fault.

'We'll deal with it if we get there, love' he gently told her, keeping his voice composed 'OK?'

'OK' she nodded lightly.

Despite herself, tears pooled in her eyes again, and Klaus pulled her in again, tightly embracing her shaky figure while her tears continued to soak his shirt.

'It's all going to be OK, love' his velvet voice repeated soothingly.

'I broke my phone' she said haltingly, her voice muffled.

'I'll get you another one' he said between chuckles.

'It had our picture in it' Caroline grumbled.

'We'll take another one' Klaus simply said through a smile of awe.

'I really liked that one' she sulked

'We'll take a better one' he assured her, squeezing her shoulders gently and planting a soft kiss on her hair.

A peaceful moment of silence passed with Klaus's arms wrapped around Caroline in the warmest embrace of all. For all Caroline cared, she could stay like that forever. For all she knew his soothing embrace, his loving touch, his passionate kiss was all she needed. And it suddenly felt ridiculous to have the slightest bit of regret towards what they had just because Elena decided to go out of her way angry about it. Klaus was in her life. His being in her life was as important to her as the existence of any of her friends was. She was not going to apologize for it, nor regret it, not when she did not even get the chance to explain herself.

'Caroline' Klaus hesitantly started.

'Yes?' Caroline sniffed, her face still buried in his hard chest.

'If it ever comes down to it' he slowly said 'I will not have you torn between me and your friends. I will walk out of your life, love'

This was the hardest thing he had ever had to say. Although it sounded somewhat absurd for such a thing to be quite so difficult for him to do but his heart instantly clenched at the thought itself. So painful it was that it almost felt like claws were scraping against his heart as his mouth uttered those words. His mind was striving to fire the image of Caroline crying as he walked away, descending back to his darkness where the memory of her light would be all he could think of, where memory would be all that was left of her. Or the image of his eyes locking with hers as he mouths the words that would wipe away all memory of him, all memory of their passionate nights, the laughs they shared, the love they held for each other, until every kiss, every touch, every smile and every moment would be gone, wiped to nothing –for her, while he would fight against endless heartache for as long as his miserable existence continues.

But it was for the best. Or so he believed. If Caroline lost her friends because of him, he would be the reason behind her misery and that was something he could never live with. He would by far prefer to be the reason of her happiness, just like she was the reason behind his. Simply, it felt like the right thing to do should it ever come down to it.

_You have officially lost your mind, Klaus. Ten days ago you had drastically different plans. _He shook off the idea.

Caroline's body went rigid in his arms. She froze in her place for several seconds, her hands clutching his shirt so tightly as though he was about to disappear any second, as though he was about to fulfill his promise that exact second.

'What?' she muttered, a mixture of fright and shock across her beautiful, tears-stained face. She slightly pulled away so she could look at his composed face.

'I will not have you torn apart, my love. I will walk away for you, Caroline' his voice was calm and soft, however the sadness in his eyes betrayed him.

Caroline just stared at him for a good half a minute before snapping at him hysterically

'No! No! No' she pulled away from him completely, furrowing her brows and repeatedly shouting at him

'Caroline…' Klaus started, confusion all over his face

'No! Don't you say that!' she cut him off sharply

'But, love…' he tried again

'Just no!' Caroline again spat, stopping him from saying anything 'No way in hell you are doing that. No way in hell you can think of that option! It's not even an option. You can't take away that choice from me!' tears flung back into her eyes as she stared at his confused face. How could he be so confused? Did he not realize what kind of a mistake he was making? Did he not know what kind of an impact his words had on her or what kind of fright did it arouse from her mind?

'Caroline, I did not mean to upset you, love. I simply thought…' he attempted to explain himself.

'Don't even think it, Nik! Never think of it' she firmly told him.

'OK' Klaus said, approaching her as tears started trailing down her face again.

'You can't say things like that' she shakily told him.

'OK' he said again, placing both his hands gently on her shoulders.

'Never say that again. It's not even an option' she said again, her fear quite evident in the way her voice broke and her lips twitched.

'Alright, love' he assured her, firmly squeezing her shoulders and looking into her eyes 'I won't, I promise'

Caroline threw her arms around his waist.

'You mean just as much to me, Niklaus' she muttered between sobs 'You can't just assume that your existence in my life does not matter'

'Alright' was all Klaus could sheepishly mouth 'I'm sorry' he apologized again, tightening his grip around her.

'I love you' she emphasized her point.

'I love you, too' he said with a deep sigh that he could not hold back.

_What have you done, Klaus?_

* * *

_She watches him attentively. He is painting with the same expression that she has grown accustomed to intact to his face; the slight frown, the pressed lips, the extreme focus, the expression that she has grown to love more than anything, the expression that she can never get tired of. _

_'Done' he declares happily, stepping back from his canvas. _

_She slowly approaches him with a smile playing at the corners of her lips at his now impatient expression. She slows her pace even more making him sigh and shake his head lightly. She chuckles. _

_'It's not like the painting will go anywhere' she teases. _

_'But my patience will, my love' he huffs with a raised eyebrow. _

_She laughs, placing a small peck on his lips; her playful torture finally comes to an end. He chuckles, wrapping an arm around her waist and she snuggles into him, turning her attention to his painting. _

_'It's beautiful' Caroline breathes. His painting captures the sunset before them so perfectly that it feels almost tangible. For weeks now he's been making those trips to that particularly same spot just so he can resume his work on that piece of perfection 'It's very beautiful' she says again, turning her head to look at his smiling expression. _

_'I was sure you would like it' he brags. _

_She raises an eyebrow at him, stepping out of his embrace to stand in front of him. _

_'And what makes you think that I'm not saying that just so I can dodge a fight?' she asks defiantly _

_'Because you're too honest, love' he simply says _

_'Or maybe I am just a good actress' she suggests with a shrug_

_Niklaus chuckles 'It doesn't really matter, love, I wouldn't call anything beautiful with you standing next to it' he burns her with that blue-eyed gaze of his. _

_Caroline smiles widely, blushing despite herself 'I wish I could say the same thing about you' she teases. _

_Niklaus smirks 'See? I told you! You are too honest, sweetheart' he enthusiastically says, placing his hands on her waist as her own are placed on his chest. _

_Caroline laughs, lightly shaking her head 'stop talking and kiss me!' she demands. _

_Niklaus briefly presses his lips to hers before pulling away with a sharp gasp. _

_'What's wrong?' frowns she. _

_His pained eyes dart to his chest, where blood is pooling on his shirt. Caroline shrieks 'Nik!' she yelps, but he falls to the ground and turns grey in a fraction of a second. _

_Horror soaks though her entire being as she watches the murderer who is no one but himself. Klaus stands before her with his own heart in his hand. Blood trickles from it and he watches it with his trade mark evil smirk. His fangs are apparent and his eyes are yellow. Not only fear overwhelms Caroline, but also an unexplainable rush of heart-wrenching sadness._

_He is Klaus, but not the man she loves. He's the one who just killed the man she loved. She falls on her knees near the greying body. What's left of him is nothing but a grey corpse. His smile is gone, his eyes are no longer holding that fiery gaze in them, his lips will no longer graze hers._

_The place dramatically shifts. The night sets in with no moonlight, and not a single star in sight. _

_'You killed him!' Caroline shouts at the murderer. It should feel absurd telling someone that they have killed themselves, but on the contrary, Caroline felt like the man who is before her was drastically different from the lover she has just lost. _

_'Let's not overreact now, love, shall we?' he sarcastically says, tossing his own heart away. She hates him. She hates how much he looks like him, how much he sounds like him, how he calls her love like him; or like he used to do. Tears escape her eyes, forming a heavy stream on her cheeks and falling on his grey face, trailing down his neck and on to the ground. _

_'You killed him' this time her voice breaks. _

_'I didn't kill anyone, love' The murderer shrugs 'He does not exist. How can I kill what does not exist?' _

_'Of course he existed' Caroline shouts furiously through her tears 'I loved him! I loved him and he loved me' she holds him in her arms, gently laying his head on her lap. _

_'You loved someone from the fragment of your imagination, Caroline' the murderer whispers near her ear 'he never existed.' shudders run down her spine as he menacingly informs her. _

_Caroline is about to snap at him when another grey corpse shows itself before her. No one other than Elena's aunt stands before her with a stake through her heart, like the way she died… like the way Klaus killed her. _

_'Now tell me that he existed' his menacing voice taunts again. _

_Caroline holds him tighter 'he existed! YOU KILLED HIM!' she thunders. _

_Another scene flashes before her. Elena's lifeless body drops to the ground as the eyes of an anguished Stefan watch her. Caroline gulps down. _

_'Did he exist, Caroline?' the murderer asks again._

_'He existed' Caroline mutters repeatedly, holding on to his body for dear life. _

_It's not long before a series of crimes he has made show themselves before her, from the story of him killing his mother, to him turning Tyler into a hybrid, threatening them until their lives turned into this one big mess, his daggered siblings and how he almost drained Elena of blood right after she saved his life. _

_'He's big on mind games, Caroline' Stefan's voice echoes with his figure appearing from behind a tree. He is frantically shaking his head. _

_'He turned our lives into a hell-hole, Caroline' Elena says, stepping around another tree. _

_'No' Caroline hysterically repeats. She tries to tighten her grip on his dead corpse, but hugs nothing other than vacancy. She looks down to see nothingness where he lay a few seconds before, leaving nothing but blood smeared all over her clothes. Caroline yelps at the sight. She rises to her feet, and the murderer greets her with his smirk and fangs. _

_'You still think he existed, sweetheart?' he mocks. _

_Caroline turns around, escaping the murderer and looking for Nik's painting at the same time. His painting turned from the breathtaking beauty of the sunset scenery to a bloody picture of innocent people getting killed. _

_'No!' Caroline shouts again. She sets her feet to start running but they don't move 'what's happening? Why can't I move?' _

_'This is where you are now, Caroline. You are trapped, love, you cannot get out' with that said his devilish laughter rings through the forest. Caroline watches his face as a sense of unimaginable fright takes over her. _

_'You're trapped with me' he says through his laughter. _

_Caroline can do nothing but shriek at the top of her lungs._

* * *

The loud scream tore through the darkness of the room. She sat up gasping. Too frightened she was that she could hear the pounding of her dead heart, she could almost feel it drumming in her chest.

'Love, are you OK?' Klaus anxiously inquired, sitting up, too. He gently put an arm around her shoulders. Much to his surprise, she recoiled, jumping at his touch.

'Get away from me!' still in frenzy, she yelled at him.

'Caroline, love, what's wrong?' Klaus asked, puzzled and increasingly concerned.

'I said get away from me!' she spat again, leaving the bed altogether, her expression a mixture of horror and disgust.

'Caroline…' Klaus started, his own voice starting to panic.

'Don't!' she cut him off. His voice was hurting her. She heard it with those intimidating whispers still. She looked at his face to see nothing but the ugly hybrid, to see nothing but Klaus 'What have you done to my Niklaus?!' she yelled.

'Caroline' Klaus calmly, almost sweetly, mouthed her name 'What's the matter? It's me' slowly, he, too, left the bed, approaching her.

'You're not him' she said hysterically, stepping backwards with each step he took forward 'You're not my Niklaus!'

'Yes I am, Caroline' his voice held its soothing silkiness. He stood two inches away from her and she found herself pressed between him and the door. She almost panicked before he gently cupped her cheek 'I am, Niklaus, Sweet Caroline. It's me. I'm your Niklaus'

When her eyes locked with his, she finally could see the man she fell in love with. His touch and concerned blue eyes were all she needed to snap out of her frenzy. She breathed an audible sigh of relief.

'Niklaus?' she whispered, tears pooling in her eyes.

'Yes, my love' Klaus released a breath he did not know he was holding.

'You're here' before she knew it, she broke into a hysterical sob 'I thought you were gone, I though he killed you' she wrapped her arms around his waist and inhaled his intoxicating scent.

'Nobody killed me, my Sweet Caroline. I'm right here' he soothed her, gently enfolding her in a warm embrace. Despite himself, his mind started racing, thinking of all the endless possibilities behind her distress. The dream clearly had everything to do with him, but he did not know why she had suddenly turned from her frightened attitude to the relieved and extremely panicked one.

'I saw him kill you' she said between her tears. She tightened her grip around his waist and kissed his chest and shoulders as her tears fell on his toned skin. She wanted to feel that he existed, she wanted to touch him, she wanted to kiss him, she wanted to smell him, to hold him just to be sure that he was still there, that he existed and was not just a fragment of her imagination.

_My Niklaus is here_, her mind repeatedly assured her.

'It was just a nightmare, love. I'm fine' he gently told her.

'It felt so real' she muttered, lifting her gaze to meet his.

'But it's not, sweetheart' he removed a strand of blonde hair away from her eyes. He smiled sweetly at her.

She crushed her lips to his, wanting to feel him as close as possible. She kissed him fiercely, like her life depended on it, like her whole existence was summed up in kissing his lips. As usual, he met her urgency with passion of his own, igniting the fire between them that soon managed to burn them.

The only way Caroline could feel comforted was by being as close as possible to him, and to do that she could only think of one way. Before she could start backing them to the bed, Klaus understood her wish and lifted her from the ground, his lips never leaving hers.

* * *

Caroline snuggled closer to him, resting her head on his chest.

'Are you sure you're OK, love?' Klaus concernedly asked.

'Yes' she firmly said, adding playfully 'Thanks to you'

Klaus chuckled.

'You think you can go back to sleep now?' he tightened his grip around her.

'Yes' she assured him, yawning 'I'll be fine with you by my side'

Klaus smiled.

Regardless of the steadiness of her composed voice, a storm was raging in her head. True, her earlier nightmare was nothing but that, a nightmare. However, a nightmare that felt so real and left a clenching feeling in her chest, the feeling of someone holding her heart and squeezing the life out of it. Doubts began to emerge into her disturbed mind as the film of her nightmare seemed to be on replay without her permission. The comforting presence of his embrace did only little to ease her thoughts. No matter how hard she tried to shake off her thoughts, a question haunted her mind while it slowly slipped into unconsciousness, a question that was stubbornly present in her dreams.

_What if Niklaus is nothing but a vacant, temporary mask while Klaus is pacing under it, waiting to unleash his anger and show his true self?_

* * *

**Thanks for reading :)) **

**Thoughts? Please share them! Reviews have been on the decrease the past couple of chapters and I just wanna see if you guys are still interested in the story or not. **

**Hints for next chapter: 1. A mix of drama and romance, too. 2. Might take as long as that one took to get uploaded.**

**KBYETHANKS :D**


	25. Fragile Hearts

**FINALLY A NEW CHAPTER! I know I'm not your favorite person in the world right now. I promise you I will do my best to update faster, even though I can't see myself having any more time the upcoming days. I will try though, promise. **

**Another reason why it had taken me too long to update is that I was preoccupied with starting a new Klaroline fic. If anyone is interested in AU/AH fics, I would trul appreciate it if you would check it out and tell me what you think :D **

**OK, enough with my rants already. Happy reading :D **

* * *

**25: Fragile Hearts**

'Good morning, Niklaus' Elijah greeted his brother, giving him an inquiring look at the obvious distressful state he was in.

'Elijah' Klaus greeted him back 'I did not think I would be seeing you so early in the morning' he tried to sound indifferent 'so early in the morning dressed in a suit' Klaus scoffed.

'I have some errands that need to be done' Elijah said with a smile playing at the corner of his lips 'I'll be leaving tonight and be out of your way'

Klaus merely nodded. He resumed contemplating the freshly finished painting.

'It's brilliant, brother' Elijah commented, standing next to Klaus before his canvas.

'It doesn't do her justice' Klaus muttered, reaching for a glass filled with liquor and downing it to the last drop.

Elijah's slight smile turned into a concerned frown 'I did not know that it was a habit of yours to drink so early in the morning' he unhappily commented.

'I'm a thousand years old, Elijah. When I drink is quite irrelevant' Klaus shrugged off the subject with an impatient tone.

Elijah sighed. He looked around Klaus's drawing-room and noted how it had changed radically from the last time he had seen it. There were tons of pictures that he had not seen before, not to mention the fact that Klaus's style had become increasingly darker, except for the painting that, judging by the fresh smell of the paint, he had finished less than an hour before. Elijah almost could not believe the fact that his brother seemed to be in love with that beautiful, blonde vampire, and kept smiling secretly to himself. He had not seen Klaus's eyes this clearest shade of blue or his features so soft in so long that he could not even remember that time anymore. However, he could not help but notice how extremely unnerved his brother seemed that morning.

'Is everything alright, Niklaus?' Elijah asked him suddenly, turning to him fully.

Klaus just stared at him blankly.

'I heard Caroline scream last night' Elijah confessed 'She sounded frightened' he cleared his throat to specify the nature of the scream. One of the downsides of being a vampire was that one could not quite control what his ears caught.

Klaus licked his upper lip nervously 'She had a hard night' he hesitantly said.

Elijah looked at him expectantly

'She talked to Elena last night about our relationship. It seems that her friend did not quite take it well' Klaus explained 'Caroline spent the whole night with nightmares hunting her'

'I see' Elijah nodded. And he truly did. Klaus was not upset for the simple fact that Elena objected of their relationship for he could not care less about Elena's views, but for the fallout that this fact would cause to his relationship with Caroline.

'I don't want her to be miserable because of me' Klaus hardly mumbled, swallowing a lump in his throat.

'She does not seem miserable, Niklaus' Elijah assured him firmly

'She was terrified of me last night, Elijah' Klaus finally admitted with obvious frustration 'After the nightmare, she was frightened of me'

That was not what it sounded to Elijah the night before, but Elijah, of course, held back that fact.

'You must give her time, brother' Elijah said with his composed voice 'She needs to adjust to the fact that you have turned from her enemy to her …. Lover' Elijah uncertainly mumbled the last word.

'What if she is starting to have regrets?' Klaus mouthed the frightening idea that had been occurring to him more than once during the past two days 'I do not think I can endure the thought of her leaving me'

Not only Elijah was surprised by how his brother opened up to him, but also Klaus seemed pleasantly stunned at the fact that he was be able to talk his brother about his insecurities so easily. Elijah added a mental note to thank Caroline before leaving.

'You truly care for her' it was not a question but a statement which could not be argued that Elijah said with a small smile.

Klaus dropped his gaze, looking almost embarrassed but not uttering a single syllable.

'You should not worry so much, Niklaus. Try your best to understand her feelings. And if it makes you feel better, tell her what you are thinking' Elijah briefly advised. And with his composed attitude strode off to the door. He paused as he turned the doorknob 'Open up to her, brother. I truly believe she is worth it.'

Klaus just stood there as Elijah opened the door and started to leave before turning around at the last moment

'Thanks for the drawing, by the way' he said with a smile then disappeared.

* * *

She felt his warm breath tickling her face gently. Slowly, she was pulled out of her sleep by his sweet voice calling her name softly. She opened her eyes to his smile plastered across his face.

'Good morning, my love' he whispered, caressing her hair gently.

'Good morning' she smiled at him widely.

The sun shone brightly through the wide windows of their room. It framed Caroline's face beautifully as she had her back to the windows, and fell on Klaus's face directly. The gleam provided by the sun gave his handsome face an angelic halo. Seeing him like that, it was hard to remember what it was that ailed Caroline's mind the night before, or what her doubts were about. Even more, it made it impossible to believe the nightmare that had occurred the night before.

He planted a kiss on her cheek 'Did you sleep well, love?'

'Yes, I did' she assured him. That was not completely honest or totally dishonest. Her slumber was rather disturbing at some points, but not to the point that would keep her up through the night. The questions and the doubts began to reemerge in her uneasy mind, the doubts that she had pushed to the back of her mind and thought that this would somehow make them disappear. Caroline was not sure if their reoccurrence was caused by her unlikable conversation with Elena or by the nightmare that had frightened her for so many different reasons that she could no longer figure out what they were. And staring into his sparkling blue eyes and watching the happy smile he wore made it hard to focus on anything that was not him.

Klaus's smile widened as she snuggled closer to him, burying her face in the nook of his neck. He wrapped his arms around her, hiding the unnerving feeling in the pit of his stomach. More than anything he wanted to ask her about her nightmare the night before. The fact that she was afraid of him when she woke up made it hard for him to sleep at night, harder than usual. However, he refrained from asking, not wanting to disturb her first thing in the morning.

'How come you are always awake before me?' Caroline suddenly asked 'I mean, do you even sleep?'

'I sleep enough' was his short simple reply.

Caroline sighed.

'I want to show you something' he told her, ending the short silence.

'OK' she said, pulling away reluctantly.

She did not bother to wrap the sheet around herself when she left the bed to take one of his shirts from a drawer.

'I'm not wearing that shirt anymore' Klaus declared seriously, watching her figure drown in his shirt

'Excuse me?' Caroline almost snapped taking his statement as an offense.

'It looks far better on you, Sweet Caroline' he smirked, the sight of her bare long legs tremendously delighting him.

Caroline rolled her eyes 'You really have to stop with all those comments. I feel bad for not knowing how to return them'

Klaus lightly chuckled 'You don't have to, love. I know that you find me handsome' he smiled innocently.

'And what makes you think that?' she scoffed.

'What happens here' he smirked pointing to the bed.

Caroline felt herself tomato-red and bit down on her lower lip dropping her shy gaze to the ground.

Klaus laughed and approached her 'Come on, sweetheart, there's no need to be shy about it' he said between chuckles, hugging her sweetly 'You weren't shy about it last night' he added teasingly.

'Hey' she scolded stepping out of his embrace and nudging him in the chest playfully 'That's no way to talk to a lady'

Klaus laughed again bowing to her slightly

'My apologies to you, my lady' he firmly apologized.

She giggled 'You look ridiculous doing that with your boxers and T-shirt'

He raised a hand to his chest, faking a hurt expression 'I'm wounded… I'm offended' he frowned playfully.

'You'll get over it' she shrugged.

'So you're not even sorry?' he raised an eyebrow

'Not even slightly' she insisted, smirking.

'Fine' he said. Then using his vampire-speed, in a fraction of a second, he carried her back to the bed as she squealed pinning, her down, and kissing her fiercely. Quickly he removed the only piece of clothing she was wearing that was his shirt and resumed kissing her.

'I thought you had something to show me!' she tried to say between his kisses.

'Not now' he muttered, barely removing his lips from hers.

She held on tight to him, her hands getting lost in his hair. She could not bring herself to care about what he had to show her anymore, either.

* * *

Caroline almost squealed. When they finally managed to leave the bed and resume their earlier plans, Klaus had led her to the balcony, his excitement almost exceeding to hers. Upon seeing the painting, Caroline thought that her dead heart was about to give up on her.

'Do you like it?' he asked her gently.

'Like it?' she raised an eyebrow at him 'I _love_ it!'

She stepped closer to the painting, taking in the variety of colors and the rays of the setting sun that framed her face. She was smiling radiantly in the painting, a smile that mirrored the one she wore as she stared at it. Her happy face occupied the right side of the painting as the sunset was painted brilliantly behind her to the point that it felt almost tangible. And in the vacant space of the reddening sky, Klaus's face was faintly apparent, a mesmerized expression across his face, his blue eyes seeming to glitter with emotions that Caroline could not quite describe.

'It's so beautiful' she breathed, turning to his anticipating face.

'I'm glad you like it, love' he smiled widely to her. He closed the remaining distance to wrap his arms around her.

A sense of overwhelming fright suddenly crept its way to Caroline's mind. The nightmare from the night before flashed through her mind. His drawing with the perfection of the sunset, his expression, his words, the way he held her in his arms all screamed familiar at her. Although knowing the impossibility of her nightmare becoming reality, she increasingly believed that he would gasp with pain and drop to the ground with his body turning grey, and her grip around his waist involuntarily tightened. She felt her eyes form tears.

_It isn't real, Caroline, It's not real. _Her mind tried to console her.

But what if it was, just not in the literal sense of the nightmare? What if Niklaus was nothing but a fragment of her imagination, nothing but a mask that would soon reveal Klaus's ugliness behind it?

She shuddered.

_No way. This is my Niklaus. He loves me, and I love him more than anything. _

'Are you OK, love?' he asked her, anxiety slightly invading the silkiness of his voice.

'Why me?' Caroline suddenly asked. Her face was still buried in his chest. She could not look into his eyes, fearing that her vulnerability would be far too evident. Although such a thing would have been rather indifferent for her in other occasion, but that specific moment she could not bear the thought of him seeing the panic in her eyes as the fear of his disappearance lingered in her mind, or the thought of showing how insecure she was not only about his feelings towards her, but also about the fact that she was no one compared to him.

'What do you mean, sweetheart?' he furrowed his brows, his arms immediately tightening their grip around her, as though sensing how unnerved she was.

'Why did you choose me? What's so special about me? I'm nobody, a year ago I was girly little Caroline who no one took seriously, who was nobody's first choice. And now you say that you are in love with me, that I'm the first one to catch your attention in a thousand years? I don't know, Nik, but this just sounds too surreal' she blurted out, her babbling tongue doing an excellent job at not filtering her thoughts.

For several moments Klaus was silent, not exactly knowing what he should say or do. The weakness in Caroline's voice and how it shook made his heart clench for some reason that was beyond him. As though the way she thought of herself physically hurt him. He could not believe how oblivious she was to her real beauty, although her complete unawareness of her breathtaking beauty might be one of the secrets behind it.

'You don't have an answer' Caroline almost choked out.

'Oh, love' Klaus sighed. He pulled away a little, so he could stare into her eyes, but keep his grip around her 'How will I convince those beautiful eyes that looking into them is the most compelling thing I have ever done?' he murmured huskily.

'Why?' She insisted.

'Come with me'

Klaus led her downstairs and into the salon. She quickly acknowledged its beauty before Klaus cut off her observation by jerking her to the piano that sat on the far corner.

'What if Elijah comes?' She asked him, looking down at her outfit that consisted of nothing but his shirt.

'He's not here' he quickly dismissed.

Klaus sat down. He stared at the piano thoughtfully for several seconds before his fingers started brushing the keys softly. Music filled the room gradually. It drifted from the piano beautifully. The melody started of light, sweet, easy to listen to, then shifted into a happy rhythm, so happy and shiny that it made Caroline giggle. The pace slowed again, changing into a bittersweet melody, a mixture between happiness and sadness, a mixture between tears and laughter, a mixture between helplessness and hopefulness. That particular piece overwhelmed Caroline greatly. The way the music played felt far too personal for her. In a very odd way, it sounded like her when she fell in love with Klaus. However, the music picked up again and this time endless hope was all Caroline could feel; endless hope that gave her an intoxicating sense of ecstasy.

The music stopped and Klaus flashed Caroline a smile.

'That's incredible' Caroline muttered, slightly shocked still

'This is why I love you, Caroline' Klaus gently told her.

'Because you like music?' she raised an eyebrow at him.

Klaus chuckled 'No, love' he rose from his seat and came round the piano to stand in front of her 'because if you were a melody, that's how you would sound'

'Oh' was all Caroline could mouth.

'And because even though I have not preplanned this, still your presence was enough of a muse' he casually added.

Caroline's babbling tongue seemed to be extremely useless at that moment. She stared into his blue eyes with tears forming in hers, which made her almost curse herself, and just stood there, planted in her place by the gravity of his gaze. He leaned in and kissed her sweetly. His kiss was not intense nor lustful or passionate. It was gentle, so gentle and tender that it was enough of a reason for Caroline to believe that he truly loved her; because at that moment, Niklaus was the most real person in her life. At that moment what anyone had to say did not matter the least bit.

'Now, are you ready to take a tour around Barcelona?' he asked when his lips left hers.

Caroline nodded silently, knowing that her voice would break if she uttered a single syllable.

* * *

Klaus made a face as Caroline stopped him in the middle of their stroll to take a picture.

'You promised me we'd take another one!' she protested 'And it's the first thing I want to do with my new phone' she grinned.

'Alright' he rolled his eyes while, in fact, he quite enjoyed her insistence 'You know I can just draw a picture of you instead'

'I know you can, and it would look better than this technology stuff. But the problem is you always draw me. I want a picture of _us_' she explained.

'If that's the case, then I'm more than happy to take a picture with you' He grinned back

'You better' she quickly said, stopping a man in the middle of the street and politely asking him to take a picture for them.

She stepped back towards Klaus and he wrapped his arms around her so that her back rested on his chest. The man picked the perfect timing for the picture, taking it when Klaus planted a kiss on Caroline's forehead and she leaned into him even more.

As soon as Caroline received her phone back, she set the picture as her background and smiled in satisfaction.

For a long while, the happy couple walked hand in hand silently, contented with the comfort of each other's presence.

'So what is so special about _me_, Caroline?' Klaus casually asked her, the playfulness of his voice hiding the actual confusion behind his question. He would never admit it to anyone, but the fact was that he found it impossible for anyone to care for him, let alone love him, if he did not force them into it.

'Umm' Caroline squinted at him thoughtfully 'Your dimples and accent!' she concluded teasingly 'They make a killer combination'

Klaus laughed 'That's the only thing that's keeping you with me?'

'Yeah, it's hard to find someone who has both' she said as-a-matter-of-factly.

'Yes, it's very hard to find a British man with dimples' he confirmed.

Caroline chuckled 'It's even harder to find a British man with dimples who's like you. So rest assured you're not getting rid of me anytime soon'

'Well, I can't say that I have any complaints about that' he grinned, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, and she nuzzled closer to him.

'I'm still curious, though' Caroline casually noted.

'About what, love?'

'About you' she hesitantly said 'I wanna know what you've been doing in those thousand years. I mean, there must be a lot of stories to tell'

Klaus smiled 'There isn't much to say, Caroline; I've lived those years running away from ghosts of the past. That wasn't much of a life' he shrugged.

'Yeah' Caroline cleared her throat 'but there must have been sometimes when you, like, did fun things'

'The closest time I've ever come to fun was in the 1920s when I met Stefan' he quickly said 'And that did not last for long'

'Oh' Caroline mouthed, seeing that distant look in his eyes that was always present when he talked about his memories.

'I've lived, of course, went places, saw things, met people, but there was always this one thing that would stop all things good' he thoughtfully said without meeting her eyes.

'Mikeal' she muttered

'Yes' he nodded 'But rest assured, love, that the only time I've ever been happy is with you' he softly added with a sweet smile.

'I've never been as happy as I am with you, either' she blurted out then pressed her lips. Maybe she was being a little _too _obvious about her feelings and how much she loved him.

He said nothing, but pressed his lips to hers quickly.

* * *

The night had set in and Klaus had left Caroline alone. She was pacing back and forth in an uncontrollable state of anxiety.

'I'll be back soon, love' he had simply said 'Just have a few things to take care of'

And Caroline knew exactly what these things were. The problem was that she did not like those things; they included a lot of blood and dead people and the taste of the red liquid on his lips when she would kiss after he came back. Those things included trouble; a lot of trouble and the promise of their first fight… first fight since they became an actual couple. She knew that even if she tried to push the subject away, she would not succeed. Caroline simply couldn't bear the idea of him killing people anymore. Maybe that subject should have been brought up earlier, but Caroline wanted to live the fantasy for as long as it could possibly last. She knew that the fantasy was marked over in that night.

Not knowing what else to do, she headed downstairs and towards the swimming pool where she stood beside it staring absently at the starlit night sky.

_What should I tell him? Go on bunny diet? I can't have you kill people anymore? I can't pretend like nothing is wrong when I know you have just killed someone? _

'Miss Forbes' she heard Elijah's voice behind her. Too preoccupied with her thoughts, she did not hear him approaching her.

'Elijah' she gave him a small smile upon turning around to face his always-composed face 'You scared me'

'I'm sorry, Miss' he smiled slightly in return.

'Why do you have to call me, Miss?' she asked him, squinting.

Elijah chuckled 'You may think that it is an old-fashioned thought, but I find it highly inappropriate to call a lady with her first name without her permission'

She shook her head lightly, suppressing a laugh 'You can call me Caroline if you want'

'Well, Caroline, do you happen to know where my brother is?' he asked with a wide smile plastered across his face, not attempting to hide how humored he was.

'Well,' Caroline muttered 'he is out hunting. So I guess that narrows it down to Barcelona's dark alleys' she sighed, dropping her gaze.

'I see' and he truly did for it was written all over Caroline's face that she did not like that factor the least bit. Hesitantly, Elijah stepped closer to her.

'My brother..' he started slowly 'seems to truly care for you'

'Yeah' Caroline muttered 'I do, too. A lot actually' she licked her upper lip, staring at the water instead of meeting his curious eyes 'As twisted and as senseless it is, I love Niklaus. I do not know what happened or how it happened, I just know that he had got under my skin, and even though I should know better than falling in love with him, and even though I know that it's the most ridiculously insane thing I would ever do, I can't seem to stop myself from loving him' her eyes formed tears as the words streamed out of her mouth. She could not seem to be able to stop them. Elijah's face was still composed when she looked back at him.

'This is inappropriate, I'm sorry' she quickly apologized, holding back her tears. She could feel herself on the verge of breaking down for the mere thought of what lay ahead. Stranded between the urge that told her to talk him out of his hunting trips despite all consequences and no matter what ought to happen between them, and the urge that told her to ignore it all even though that would eventually consume her and she would inevitably explode. Maybe taking the first route was far better. No matter how much they would try to avoid it, a nasty talk about his life style would occur sooner or later.

_Might as well be sooner. _She bit her lip.

'Don't be sorry' Elijah murmured, looking unseeingly onwards and adding calmly 'I will not pretend that I am not shocked by the occurrence of this…' he paused, looking for the appropriate word 'relationship' he concluded 'or that I am not grateful for the obvious effect you have made in my brother's life. Nor will I pretend that committing to my brother is an easy task. Quite frankly, committing to my brother might be one of the most difficult things anyone can do' Elijah muttered his last sentence, staring down thoughtfully. When his gaze returned back to hers, his eyes were a mixture of weary, sympathetic and sad? Pained? Caroline couldn't place it.

'But I beg of you one thing, Caroline' he added 'Be careful with his heart. It's far more fragile that he leads on'

Caroline found herself beyond shocked at his last statement. Elijah was not the first to tell her to look after Klaus for Rebekah, even though in a much different style, had told her to take care of him in an indirect way between her threats. And for the second time, Caroline had absolutely no words for Elijah nor did he want her to say a thing as he immediately proceeded to the door only stopping by it to quickly turn to her, slightly bowing.

'Until we meet again, Caroline' he said, with a slight smile before disappearing.

_But, Elijah, I do know that his heart is too fragile. I just hope that he knows that mine is just as frail._

* * *

**Thanks for reading :D Thoughts? Please share them! **

**Next chapter hold troubles. Most chapters from now will hold troubles, time for things to get worst before they may or may not get better. **

**Off I go :D **


	26. Where Rainbows End

**Hey guys! Here I come with a new chapter :D SO much drama here. The title is one for a novel by Cecilia Ahren, if you guys have not read it, you should, it's so good. Anyways, I thought it to be appropriate for this chapter :D **

**Now, I'm guessing you'll hate me after this one. Just remember: murder is illegal. **

**Happy reading! **

* * *

**26: Where Rainbows End**

Clock ticked time away, and he wouldn't come back. Caroline's mind ran wild, calculating the amount of kills he had achieved. He had been gone for three hours, _three hours_, and she could not stop thinking of how many lives were taken by him by then, how many lives he had sucked out, how many people lost a mother, a friend, a lover, a husband, a wife, a child, a father. Her mind would not stop imagining him digging his fangs greedily into people's necks, one after another until they are drained and until their bodies would collapse to the floor, losing all connections to the life. the images of his blue eyes turning yellow, and his fangs appearing from his gums, his lips, the same lips that she had kissed so many times, the same lips that she enjoyed having on her body, the same lips that she enjoyed the way they smiled at her, would break into that devious smirk that would be the last thing too many people would see, hunted her, tormented her.

Caroline collapsed to a chair in the balcony of their room, bringing her knees up to her chest and burying her face in them. She sincerely believed that she was one step away from losing her mind. Her anxiety was turning to an uncontrollable sense of weariness. For some reason, a pang of guilt kept hitting her as though she was as responsible as Klaus was for ending the lives of whoever he decided were flavor of the day. As if she had allowed such a thing to happen instead of stopping him and furiously protesting.

_Goddammit, this night refuses to be over,_ she thought, her hands pulling at her hair a bit too roughly.

Then she felt his presence behind her. He was as quiet and as still as a statue, not making a sound. When Caroline slowly turned her annoyed and slightly enraged gaze to him, she saw it in his face that he knew exactly what was ahead of him.

'Caroline' he said coolly, his chilling tone matching the absolute expressionlessness of his face. The way he said her name was some sort of a formal greeting that she answered with clenching her jaw.

'Something wrong, love?' he asked coldly still, as though daring her to confess her thoughts.

'Yes' she snapped 'Something _is _wrong'

'I see' he calmly said, nodding his head and coming round her chair to lean against the fence, facing her. He crossed his arms on his chest 'Let's hear it' his composed voice said.

'Do you really want to hear it?' Caroline mouthed sarcastically, surprised by his composure.

'No' he said calmly still 'But I know you have to get it out of your system, so say it'

Caroline drew in a deep breath, increasingly unnerved by the unreadable mask he wore. Klaus had not hid his face behind his mask ever since she had mouthed her love for him, and the fact that he had returned to it was far more disturbing than Caroline would have thought it would be.

'I don't like that you feed on people' she finally said firmly.

Klaus was silent for several seconds before his composed voice came again 'You'll have to deal with that, Caroline, it's my nature'

Caroline frowned, scoffing 'It's your nature to kill people?'

'Yes' he said coldly, the composure of his voice slightly carrying a sting to it 'I'm a vampire. What else would you expect?'

'Just because you're a vampire, that doesn't mean that you have to kill people' Caroline said, folding her arms across her chest 'I'm a vampire, and I don't kill people'

'And I respected that. I did not intervene with your choice of life' he simply reasoned. The quietness of his face and voice not showing at all the boiling rage that was gradually building up inside of him 'Why would you intervene with mine?'

'Because my choice of life does not include killing people' Caroline spat, appalled by the comparison 'it's not OK to kill people'

'I never said that it was. But I'm a predator, Caroline, it's in my nature' he resumed his cool attitude.

'God!' Caroline exclaimed, rising to her feet 'Stop being so calm!'

'Then what do you want me to do, Caroline?' he spat, furrowing his brows slightly 'I'm waiting for you to tell me what the hell it is that you want from me'

'I want you to stop killing people. I want you to stop feeding on people' she yelled, her anger reaching its limits.

'Well, that's not going to happen, love, so you better find a way to deal with it' he said drily and strode towards the bedroom and into the walk-in closet, taking his shirt off in the process.

'That's it? That's all you're gonna say?' Caroline shook her head her voice not quite back to its normal tune, following him.

'There's nothing else to say, Caroline' he glared at her briefly before resuming rummaging through his shirts 'Forget the matter, conversing with you about it would be of no use'

'That's ridiculous' Caroline snapped, squaring her shoulders 'I can't just _forget _the matter. This isn't about painting the kitchen blue or green; this is about _you_ killing innocent people. _You._ The man _I _love'

'Yes. _Me, _the man _you _love, or _claim _to love for the matter, kills people. That fact was not lost on you before we jumped into this relationship, so why are you acting so appalled as though you had no idea about it?' his voice gradually grew louder.

'_Claim to love?_' she narrowed her eyes at him, folding her arms across her chest and facing him fully 'So now I don't love you because I'm objecting on something?'

'I did not say that' he coldly mouthed.

'Then what did you mean?' she insisted, her irritation reaching its limits with the ice cold expression that matched his tone.

He exhaled loudly, gluing his eyes to the ground. His jaw clenched and flexed several times in harmony with his fists. He huffed in frustration lastly and pulled some random shirt over his head without facing her, resuming his silence.

'Goddammit, Klaus! Just tell me!' she rolled her eyes, exasperatedly huffing 'Don't give me the silent treatment crap!'

'You always knew how I lived Caroline!' he yelled, turning around to face her with anger-blazed blue eyes 'You knew it all along why does it suddenly matter so much?'

'Of course it matters! It mattered all along!' Caroline yelled back 'That does not mean that I don't love you!'

'But that's exactly what it means!' his angry voice thundered.

'How?' she impatiently yelled.

Slowly, he approached her. His eyes looked into hers sharply, the fire in them causing Caroline's stomach to do flops that were not necessarily something she liked. They were one of fear rather than giddiness and excitement.

When he spoke his voice was low, menacing, that tone that she heard threaten many times before. He was not threatening her then, but that mechanism made it hard for her to hear the sadness or bitterness behind his sentences 'Because it means that you love parts of me, Caroline, the part that draws you pictures and takes you places, the part that plays music for you and takes you to romantic dinners. But you don't love _me_. Klaus is a part of who I am, Caroline. I am both; the Original hybrid _and_ your Niklaus. You've known that all along, and I thought that it did not matter to you, that you loved me despite all'

'How can you expect me to love that part of you?' she quietly said, holding herself stiff in her position.

'By accepting me as I am' he calmly, almost desperately said 'by accepting that this is my nature, this is who I am. If you truly loved _me _and not a part of who I am we wouldn't be having this conversation now, Caroline' he held her gaze and she could see the shadow of sadness hovering in his blue eyes. She had almost gone soft at the sight, but held her ground, pushing all thoughts of giving up.

'I _do _love you as you are…' she started, her tone obviously irritated.

'You think that you do, but you don't' He cut her off 'Because if you did you wouldn't be trying to change me now, you wouldn't be trying to erase that part of me now' his tone, too, started to gradually rise as he spoke with rising agitation.

'Of course I'll be trying to erase that part of you now! Because no one can ever love that monstrous part! I can never be OK with it' she spat.

Klaus blinked in surprise, taken aback. He took several steps backwards, looking as though someone had physically hurt him. He could feel his heart cracking at the effect of her words, as though a stake had been driven through it. His jaw clenched and for a second his surprised expression turned into an anguished one. He blinked the pain away from his face, though, and put on the defensive mask. Caroline could practically feel a wall dropping between them, shielding him from her view and it was only then that she realized what her mouth had babbled and bit down harshly on her lip. The guilt was written all over her face as she stared back at Klaus, her gaze instantly turning apologetic.

'Nik, I didn't mean it like that' she feebly apologized.

'No, I get it' he coldly said, the cruelty in his stern eyes driving knives through her 'I get it, Caroline. I'm a monster. How can anyone ever love me as I am?'

With that said, he quietly strode out of the room, slamming the door behind and leaving Caroline short of breath.

* * *

Waking up in the next morning had never felt as dreadful as that day. There was this unexplainable feeling of heaviness weighing Caroline down. It should have been normal to feel so depressed and close to miserable because of the latest brutal encounter between her and Klaus, however, it felt like an ominous day because of what was to happen, not because of what had already happened, which made Caroline's more-that-a-little-troubled mind go on a full blow of fretfulness that was close to insanity. She had spent the night pacing back and forth irritably, trying miserably to find a way out of the recent mess that would not include hurting Klaus any further or forcing herself to come to terms with something that she had no intention at all of accepting.

The solution never hit her.

More than once, she was close to suggesting feed-and-heal method, or feed without killing the person and compel, but even that did not feel right. And if she said that she would be fine with it, it would have been a lie. Other than that, she knew that the problem had exceeded to more than the fact of his lifestyle, the problem was the words she had uttered and had no clue how to take them back for a lot of reasons. However, the main reason behind her confusion was the fact that it just hit her how true her sentence was. For so long she tried to ignore Klaus's dark side, for so long she tried to think of him as Niklaus and Niklaus alone. She never thought of him as Klaus. The idea of loving him as a whole had not struck her before, nor had she ever pondered it. She had always known she could never be able to accept that part of him. And despite how much she regretted the harsh words that she had said, Caroline was unable to apologize for them since they were honest… far too honest. She just hated herself for spitting them in his face, for they hurt him so much that she could almost feel herself pushing a knife towards his heart by simply looking at his pained face.

_'But I beg of you one thing, Caroline. Be careful with his heart. It's far more fragile that he leads on' _

The words rung in her ears and she huffed with increasing frustration.

_Seriously, Caroline? You've obviously taken that statement a bit too lightly. _

Now the question was: how could she fix the damage?

The ringing of her phone pulled Caroline out of her sea of gloomy thoughts. Normally, she would be delighted to see Stefan's name on her screen but that day, she was too apprehensive and agitated to actually want to talk to anyone. Little advice could anyone tell her when it came to the relationship she was in, and that most definitely made pouring her heart out to anyone more than a little bit unlikely.

Nonetheless, Stefan was calling. It had to be urgent and ignoring the call would make him go out of his mind worried.

'Hello' she reluctantly answered

'Hey, Care' his voice came quiet, almost sad 'How are you?'

'Fine' she lied 'been better, been worst' she lied again. She had never felt worst. Torn between apologizing and begging him to forget everything, wanting to ease the pain she had caused him, and wanting to slap him across the face for being such a stubborn jerk that would not even listen.

_Goddammit! What should I do?_

Stefan sighed heavily from the other end 'Look, Caroline, I know that it was harsh'

'How did you know what happened?' Caroline asked, astonished with his knowledge.

'Elena told me' Stefan quietly said.

'How di…' she began to say then remembered that Stefan's knowledge only exceeded to her conversation with Elena which was pretty much forgotten by then 'What did she tell you?' she asked instead, casting her gaze downwards.

'That she didn't like what she heard from you' Stefan tried more than a little to sugar-coat what's actually been said.

'Yeah' Caroline scoffed 'And she was not cryptic about it, I might add'

'Caroline…' Stefan began hesitantly.

'Stefan, I know' Caroline cut him off 'You don't want to get in the middle of this. If I were you I wouldn't want that either. I know she's your girlfriend and that you love her. It's OK if you don't want to talk about it'

'It's not that' Stefan cleared his throat 'I mean, I really don't want to take sides with this thing, but you have to listen to the full story'

'Why? Why should _I _listen to the full story when she didn't listen to _my _full story?' her anger was obvious in her question.

'I told her _your _full story. Now let me tell you _hers_' Stefan reasoned with a somewhat impatient tone.

'What did she say?' Caroline inquired 'When you told her my full story, what did she say?'

There was a long silence on the other end.

'She didn't change her mind the tiniest bit, did she?' Caroline was stating a fact more than asking a question.

'She needs time' Stefan desperately said 'She just needs time to wrap her mind around it. I needed time, too, Care'

'Yeah but you weren't a complete bitch to me like she was' Caroline felt tears forming in her eyes as she said those words. Why did it feel like everything was crumbling down?

'It's not just to you, Caroline' Stefan quietly said, adding after a pause 'She wasn't exactly been doing well with her transition as she led on' he haltingly confessed.

'Oh' was all Caroline mouthed.

'The thing is, her emotions are so heightened, she's been irritable, impatient, constantly losing control over her emotions and the style of feeding is not exactly that easy' Caroline did not miss the hint of sadness in his seemingly calm voice.

'And I only know about this now because..?' Caroline almost scolded, crossing her arms on her chest and taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

'Because I didn't want you to worry' he completed the sentence with slight guilt in his voice 'But you have to know this now to understand that she is not handling things very well'

'So you're telling me that because of her heightened emotions, I should simply forget the fact that she had practically called me a slut, that I should be OK with her not being OK with my relationship with Klaus?' Caroline interrogated with an annoyed tone. Her frustration with everyone seemed to reach its limit.

'No!' Stefan said immediately and she breathed ruefully. At least, Stefan was not asking her to do an impossible task; unlike a certain Niklaus Mikealson. Caroline shrugged off the thought.

'I'm saying that she needs some time. But she will come around' he added urgently 'She is not happy about the conversation between the two of you, either, and she's been pondering it repeatedly so I think it's only a matter of days.' He reassured her.

'I hope you're right' Caroline muttered 'Gosh I need all the support I can get'

'Did something happen?' Stefan immediately picked-up the edginess of her voice.

'Yeah' Caroline admitted 'I kinda had a fight with Klaus, and it kinda did not end well.'

'Oh' Stefan seemed lost as to what to say for a second before adding 'Well, things like these happen in any relationship'

_As if my relationship with Klaus has anything to do with other relationships,_ she inwardly scoffed.

'I know, but believe it or not, dealing with Klaus is a lot more complicated than you might think' Caroline sarcastically said.

'I know. And you said you knew that, too, before getting involved in the whole thing.' Stefan pointed out.

'Yes, I did' Caroline sighed.

'It's that bad, huh?' Stefan's voice was not even remotely sarcastic, kind of teasing, but definitely with no intention to mock her.

'Worse than any fight I have ever been through and I've had a fair share of those!' Caroline blurted out 'I said something that I shouldn't have said and now he's re-building that giant wall around himself and retracting to himself'

'Well,' Stefan started thoughtfully 'the thing with Klaus is that you have to be very careful with what you tell him when it comes to him. I think he has issues'

'Issues is something you say about ripper-you, when it comes to Klaus, I don't know what you should call them' she retorted and Stefan couldn't help but chuckle 'It's not funny!' she scolded

'Sorry' he immediately apologized 'I didn't mean to upset you. It's just that I never thought that I would be talking to you about how to solve your relationship issues with Klaus'

'Yeah, me neither' she scoffed.

'I'm sure you'll work it out' he reassured her 'Whatever it is' he added with a hint of smile in his voice that made Caroline smile slightly.

'Thanks for the blind faith' she teased.

He chuckled 'Seriously Caroline, you're smarter than you give yourself credit. You'll figure it out'

'Thank you, Stefan' Caroline's gratitude was quite obvious in her voice 'I don't know what I did to deserve you'

'Nah' Stefan shrugged off 'I don't know what _I _did to deserve a friend like _you_'

Caroline's smile widened 'You're just saying that to encourage me to fix things up with Klaus' she teased.

'Can you blame me? You sound miserable!' he confessed with a chuckle.

'So you did say that just to encourage me to fix things up with Klaus?' Caroline accused playfully, raising an eyebrow as though Stefan could see her expression.

'Busted' Stefan teased.

'You bet you are. You are also dead! Just wait till I see you' she threatened, hardly suppressing her chuckle

'Then I better go' Stefan hurriedly said 'Seriously, I gotta run'

'Too bad, I wasn't done scolding' Caroline sighed dramatically.

'One more thing before I go' Stefan said between chuckles.

'Yes?' she asked, already dreading his last hurried sentences.

'Now everyone knows, including Damon' he quickly said and without giving her a chance to reply added 'Goodbye, take care' and hung up.

Caroline froze in her place for several seconds, dumfound at the new information.

_GOSH! COULD THIS DAY GET ANY WORST? _

The problem was that it could. It could get much, much worst.

* * *

Caroline slowly tip-toed to Klaus's studio, dreading the upcoming confrontation and all it held, but knowing that she had no choice but to face it. Hesitantly, she peeked through the door, which was opened ajar, and saw him standing in front of the window, gazing through it. How ridiculous it was to miss him? It had not even been a day since they have been happily cuddling together, but waking up without him next to her in the morning felt all kinds of wrong. The bed was so cold and lonely without his strong arms wrapped around her. The room felt so empty and intolerably massive without the presence of his blue eyes and dimpled-smile greeting her first thing in the morning. Spending one night without him felt like spending a whole year without him. That thought made Caroline's fears rise to new levels as her mind gradually grasped how much she needed and how much she loved Klaus; beyond all reason and despite all reason.

Loved only parts of him? What a sick joke! Caroline was willing to sacrifice everything for him. Caroline blindly trusted him enough to look beyond all he had ever done and put her heart in his hands despite her complete knowledge of how easy it would be for him to crush it; how _too _easy it would be for him to crush it.

Caroline loved him. She loved _him_, faults and all, good and bad, light and dark, she loved him. But that surely did not mean that she would allow him to run around killing people when he had another choice to survive, when he could go through another route that would not bring misery upon a lot of people. More than anything, she did not want him to turn someone's life into a smoldering hell, like he had done with her friends, by killing a person that was the most important one in their life.

She had to tell him this and he had to listen whether he liked it or not.

Collecting her courage, she pushed the door open and stepped into the room, closing it behind her. She stood in her place, shuffling her feet uncomfortably as he did not turn around to face her. Oh, how much she wished that he would be the one to start talking because she had no idea how to deliver her thoughts without conjuring further damage!

'Good morning' he finally said.

Seriously? _Good morning? _That's what he had to say?

'Hey' was her even worse reply. Her mind immediately cursed her.

And that was it. He resumed his meditation as though she was not even there. She cleared her throat more than once, but there was not a single movement still.

'So you're just gonna ignore me now?' she asked quietly, but with clear irritation.

He turned around lastly, making Caroline want to slap the cold expression off of his face.

'I am waiting for you to tell me what it is that I can do for you' he said drily, shrugging indifferently.

'What it is that I want from you?' Caroline repeated, astonished with his behavior 'Klaus, I came here to talk. We _need _to talk'

'So talk' he simply said, raising an eyebrow at her.

She drew in a deep breath 'I am sorry for what I said last night'

He just looked at her expectantly.

'You know, I'm sorry for the last part of what I said. I'm sorry that it hurt you' she murmured.

'Hurt me' Klaus scoffed under his breath.

'Don't do that' Caroline protested.

'Do what?' he inquired quietly.

'That' she pointed to his expressionless face 'Don't act like you don't care. Don't wear that intolerably cold mask and just build a wall around yourself. Shout at me, fight with me, do whatever you want with me as long as you tell me what you're thinking! As long as you _talk _about what happened' despite herself, tears formed in her eyes as she got closer and closer to desperation with each word.

'There's nothing to talk about' he coldly said.

'Obviously there is!' she pleaded 'Gosh, Nik, don't be so stubborn! Talk to me!'

'What do you want me to say?' he asked her drily 'hmm? What is it that you want me to say, Caroline? That what you said is OK? That I've forgotten it? That with your apology it's fine, it doesn't sting anymore? Well, Caroline, it is _not _OK. I have _not _forgotten. And your apology does _not _make a difference' he spat. By the end of his pain-filled words, he was standing close to Caroline, his face inches away from her as she glued her eyes to the floor, unable to lift her tears-filled eyes to his ice-cold ones.

'You know why, Caroline? Because I know that you meant it. Because I know that what you have said last night was the truth. Because I know that your apology is nothing but an attempt to dodge further damage. Because I know that you think this apology would unhurt my feelings.'

Caroline couldn't say anything. All the courage she thought she had mustered faded away. Maybe he was right. Maybe she had meant what she had said. She loved him, but she did not accept him. She loved him, but even before allowing herself to love him she had vowed to change him. She loved him as the version she thought he could be, the version that did not include his murderous part. So she did not say a thing, just kept staring at the floor with tears streaming down her face as she tried desperately to suppress her sobs.

'Why aren't you saying anything now?' Klaus questioned with a hint of mockery in his voice 'because I am right, aren't I, Caroline?' he added quietly.

She did not dare reply.

'I'm right, aren't I?' he insisted, his voice a pitch higher.

She could not reply.

'Tell me' he thundered and she gasped, shaking in her shoes from head to toe.

'I'm sorry. I'm so sorry' was all she could desperately say through her tears.

He stepped back, pacing back and forth irritably as a storm seemed to go through his head before he finally halted in his place and started with an accusing, dry tone.

'I was a fool enough to think that you love me for who I am; that, for once, someone is willing to take me as a whole. It turned out that you just want to fix me. Well, let me tell you something, love, I'm unfixable. This _is _who I am. This _is _who I will always be. I am _not _your charity case. So if this is why you are here, don't bother'

'That's not true!' Caroline protested, finally lifting her tears-smeared face to his dry expression 'You think you can just barge in and throw accusations like you know everything? Well, guess what, you don't!'

'Just leave, Caroline' he said calmly, turning around and blocking her vision of his face.

'No! You don't get to do that. You can't ask me to leave the room just because you don't want to talk. You have to listen' she insisted, ignoring the clenching fists and the slight tremble of his body that were signs of his rising anger.

'Leave, Caroline' he said firmly, his voice an almost-warning.

'This was never why I loved you. I can't allow you to think that…' she ignored him.

'Stop lying to me and leave, Caroline' he demanded interrupting her, as he reached the ultimate level of impatience.

'I'm not lying to you….' She defended through tears and desperate pleads.

'I SAID LEAVE' he yelled at the top of his lungs, turning to face her. She saw his eyes blazing with anger and knew there was no reasoning with him.

Quietly, as she heard her heart breaking and her violent sobs, she darted out of the room then out of the villa altogether.

To say that Caroline was anguished would have been an understatement.

* * *

Klaus kept pacing back and forth in his studio. He paced the room as he heard the front door slam shut, telling him that Caroline had left the villa. He paced the room during the whole day as she made no appearance. He paced the room as the front door opened and he heard her making her way to their room when night set in. He paced the room as one thought occupied his mind.

_I love Caroline too much. I have let her in too much. She can hurt me. She will hurt me. _

_She has already hurt me._

* * *

When Klaus finally entered their room, it was dark. Caroline was curling into a ball on the edge of the bed and he could hear he silent sobs. Slowly, he approached the bed, lying next to her, then holding her in his arms like he had done many nights, so that her back was pressed against his chest and her head was rested on his shoulder.

Her sobbing did not quiet down, her body going stiff in his arms.

'I've missed you' he whispered.

'I've missed you, too' she whispered shakily.

For a long while they stayed silent and still, with his arms wrapped around her. Gradually, she relaxed in his embrace, because he smelled of home and felt warm next to her.

'I hate fighting with you' she admitted quietly, slowly turning around in his embrace to meet the soft expression he wore.

He did not reply, but leaned in and kissed her softly. She could not help but lean in for more. It felt like it had been far too long since his lips were on hers, like it had been far too long since she felt their wonderful touch and magnificent taste.

'But we are fighting' Caroline said when he finally let go of her lips.

'Not tonight, we are not' he said, kissing her again, more passionately this time that it left her breathless.

'But we have to talk about it' Caroline said breathlessly.

'We will. Tomorrow' he quickly said before stealing another heated kiss.

She pushed him away a little 'You promise?' she asked against his lips.

'I promise'

With that said, he kissed her passionately again and Caroline gave up. Not only because reasoning with him would be useless for he was determined to not talk about anything that night, but also because she no longer wanted to talk either. She just wanted to feel his skin against her, his warmth surrounding her, his lips on hers. She just wanted him.

It had been so cold without him.

* * *

Caroline patted the space next to her, grumbling at the feeling of nothing but sheets under her palms. The sun rays streamed through the window, providing Caroline with warmth that was not enough without Klaus's arms wrapped around her.

It was so cold without him

She sighed. They were clearly still fighting and it disturbed Caroline too much that a feeling of heaviness occupied her chest, making it hard to breathe.

She sat up in the bed, trying to shake it off. She would go talk to him and they will resolve this issue no matter what. She loved him and he loved her, and if the day before had proved anything to her it would be that her life was miserable without him.

It had been so cold without him.

Her blurry vision gradually adjusted and she swung her legs from the bed, inhaling deeply. She blinked several times as her eyes met the offensive gleam of sunlight until she could finally look around her clearly. It was such a beautiful day and she was not going to waste it fighting with Klaus. She would do everything in her power to fix things so she could go back to roaming the city with him.

Her eyes flashed to the nightstand and a piece of paper caught her eyes. She reached for the folded paper, frowning in confusion. For some absurd reason, her stomach started to flip with fear, like what was in that folded piece of paper would be dreadful. She did not know why, but her hands trembled as she held it, slowly unfolding it. She swallowed loudly before reading the scribbled words on it with the too familiar handwriting.

_'My apologies to you, Miss Forbes, you were nothing but collateral damage –Klaus'_

* * *

**Major cliffhanger! I just love those because I'm mean *mwahahahaha*. Obviously things will be explained next chapter which I'm guessing you will not be very fond of, either. Anyways, please tell me what you think and feel free to send me hate mails! I really don't mind, just let me know what you're thinking. **

**See you in next chapter :)**


	27. Intolerable Cruelty

**Hi everyone! I am SO SORRY that it took me so long to publish this, but I seriously struggled with this chapter. And I'm still not sure that it turned out like I wanted it to be, but anyways.. I hope you'll like it... Maybe just a little? **

**Happy reading :D**

* * *

**27: Intolerable Cruelty **

_'Collateral damage' _the words screamed at her. What did that even mean?

Caroline was trembling from head to toe. Her thoughts mingling together to form a mess of which she did not know where it began or ended. She read the scribbled words repeatedly, trying desperately to conjure up any thought that would put the sentence into a reasonable explanation. however, there was no explanation… none that she would accept, anyway, for they all included endless heartache for her and sheer shock, mixed with disappointment. It would include all those endlessly anguishing emotions that no language could possibly have enough vocabulary or expressions that could describe the pain enough.

_No! No! JUST NO! _Was all her mind could think of whenever the only reasonable explanation represented itself before her and the pieces fell into place.

But it was the only thing that made sense; it was the only thing that could be the meaning behind his note. And the thought made her want to vomit, the obnoxious thought disgusted her beyond reason that she fell to the floor next to the bed with only the sheet covering her body, curling in a ball and suffering from shortage of breath as though going through an actual panic attack. She clutched her stomach as her hand crushed the folded piece of paper.

The note on the piece of paper could only mean that he had lied to her all along. The note could only mean that she was nothing but a toy to him, that she was nothing but a pawn in his sick games.

* * *

She didn't know for how long she crumbled in a ball beside the bed, wide-eyed with horror, trembling with shock. Nor did she know how she managed to rise to her feet and collect the remains of her distraught mind. Nor did she know how she managed to jump into her clothes and have enough composure to process the thought of running to the airport and compelling herself a seat on a plane back to the United States. But she did it, despite all the crippling shock and unendurable pain she did it, because she had to know that her conclusion was wrong, because there was no way everything that was between them had been nothing but a lie, because her mind held on to that smallest ray of hope for dear life.

The eight hours flight couldn't be over soon enough. She clutched the handles tightly until her knuckles turned white during the entire time it took them to land back in Virginia.

She quickly grabbed the little things she had packed then ran to her hometown, Mystic Falls, her only hope of it all being nothing but a delusion in her mind shrinking by the second, because oh, how much it made more sense if she was nothing but collateral damage. Why would that ever change? How would that ever change?

* * *

She advanced to Elena's house, knocking urgently on the door until Jeremy opened it.

'Caroline!' he exclaimed, shock all over his face 'What are you doing here? When did you get back?' he asked with a stunned smile forming.

'There's no time for this, Jeremy' she quickly dismissed 'where's Elena and Stefan?' she asked him.

'They are at his place with Damon' Jeremy answered, frowning 'Why?'

'Oh my God' Caroline gasped, pressing a hand to her forehead with distress.

'Why? What's going on?' Jeremy asked, anxious at once.

'Look' she quickly said 'Call Bonnie, tell her to meet us there'

'OK' he said confusedly 'I'll come with you' he added.

'No!' Caroline snapped. There was no way she would put Jeremy's life in danger 'Stay here! Just tell Bonnie to come!' she quickly demanded and darted off, running to the Salvator's boarding house.

And, indeed, it was there that she found him along with everybody else. It was there that her suspicions were confirmed and her shock reached its limits. The deadly monster was swaggering between the tortured bodies of her friends. Klaus, the man she loved, the man who claimed to love her, had blood on his hands… not any blood, though. He had her friends' blood on his hands.

Elena was lying unconscious in a corner of the room, her neck snapped. Stefan was tied to a chair with blood dribbling from the stake that was planted in his side. The other Salvatore was the one suffering the most, though, with his body hanging from the ceiling with vervain ropes and blood all over his bare torso that Caroline couldn't quite place its source.

She gasped, frozen in her place as silence filled the room with her entrance, everything going absolutely silent in harmony with her shocked expression. She trembled at the sight of Klaus's half-smirk-wearing, amused face, unable to do anything but shake in her shoes. That was not Niklaus; that was not the man she loved, that was not the man who drew her pictures of sunset and lit candles all over the castle for their first official date. That was not the man who made love to her many nights before, making her feel whole and complete only when she was in his arms; the man whose blue eyes and dimpled-smile carried all the promises and all the love she thought she could never have.

She shut her eyes tightly, hoping that when she opened them the nightmare would be over. That Niklaus would be still laying beside her and they would talk about their argument and they would work it out then go around Spain and Paris and Rome and Tokyo. Because he promised her they would talk, because he promised her they would see all the world had to offer… together, the two of them.

No! No! No! This had to be a nightmare. Because Niklaus was the reality, because Niklaus was the man she would spend the rest of eternity with, because Niklaus was the one for her, he was the one she never loved and would never love anyone like she loved him. He was the one, the one who would stay with her forever.

Forever…

Forever…

But when she opened her eyes, nothing met her but Klaus's smug face as he extracted a napkin from the pocket of his jacket.

'Came to join the fun, sweetheart?' he asked, giving her the trademark smirk of his 'I always thought you would be smart enough to figure out what that note meant soon. I'm even surprised other things had slipped your attention' he mocked.

Caroline felt tears pooling in her eyes, but held them back. There was no way she would cry in front of that monster whose mask had finally fallen to show the truth behind it, to show the intolerable cruelty that lay underneath, awaiting its chance anxiously to spring forward. That was what rested behind her Niklaus, the man who was supposed to be with her forever, no matter what and through it all.

Forever…

He approached her cockily, slowly with evil spread all over his face. She just wanted to slap that smirk off of his face, to slap that devious expression as though that would somehow bring back her Niklaus.

The problem was Niklaus was nothing but a fragment of her imagination.

'Why do you look so upset love?' he asked sardonically, pacing around her frozen figure like a hunter would around his prey.

Stefan's eyes widened. Klaus's next move frightened him greatly. Whatever he had planned for this encounter with Caroline was going to be colossally painful, not that much effort was required in that area. Klaus had probably already shattered her heart beyond repair.

'Hmmm?' Klaus insisted, squinting sarcastically at the frightened blonde 'Is that something that goes beyond my monstrosity, Sweet Caroline?' he asked, gesturing to their surroundings. The way he said her name made her stomach turn with disgust.

'Why are you doing this?' was all Caroline could say as her voice shook, and she couldn't seem to be capable of looking at him anymore.

'Why wouldn't I do this?' he mused, chuckling sarcastically 'You tried to rid the world of me, that's the least I could do'

'But…' she started uncertainly. What would she say? That he was supposed to be in love with her? That they were supposed to be spending the rest of forever together? What? What would make sense if the only thing in her life that brought her absolute happiness was suddenly nothing but a lie?

'But what?' he encouraged, coming closer to her. She shuddered, wanting to feel anything but disgust from his closeness and familiar scent mixed with the platonic smell of blood 'But we are supposed to be in love' he sarcastically finished, softening his voice in that painfully mocking way 'Right?' he added, raising an eyebrow at her 'That was the end of your sentence, was it not?' he stood beside her, as she glued her eyes to the floor, trying to find anyway that would end that nightmare. Her mind couldn't possibly begin to comprehend what was happening, let alone process the words that would end it.

'Answer me now, love, you know it's very rude to ignore someone's question' he demanded tauntingly.

'Yes' was all she could whisper as a tear escaped her eyes. They _were _in love, weren't they? They were so in love that she missed him when he didn't spend _one _night with her. Would her tears soften his heart? Or will they just satisfy the growling, anger-filled, avenging monster before her? Either ways, she could not stop them as another trickled down her cheek.

'Ahh' he smiled deviously 'were you a fool as much to think that _I _could love _you, _or anyone for the matter?' he asked, clearly amused for a reason that was far beyond Caroline's broken, or rather crushed heart, to understand.

'But we are…' she trailed off, desperate for any kind of words appropriate for such situation.

'No love' he corrected her '_we _are not. _You _are in love with _me _… or with the man you thought I was' he said frankly, then added with a smile 'I, however, love no one. You see all I did was showed you how easily I can manipulate someone into my side without using any kind of supernatural power.' he explained as-a-matter-of-factly. He circled Caroline until he was standing behind her and whispered in her ears cockily 'You see Caroline only a month ago had a boyfriend who she thought she loved. Only a month ago, threw a party after the little stunt you pulled. But now, she's so desperately in love with me that she was willing to forget everything I've done and spend the rest of her supernatural life with me' Caroline shuddered, gasping softly, the urge to vomit threatening to reemerge.

'The girl is so desperate that even though I've given her nightmares through our time together but she still fell in love… with _me_!' he chuckled 'Isn't that right, Sweet Caroline?' he asked, placing his hands on her waist. She flinched, her brain shutting down altogether 'albeit that I stopped them later to make her think that she was starting to trust me' he added frankly. His hands trailed down a little 'But I cannot say I haven't enjoyed our time together, though' he whispered provocatively. Caroline's breathing quickened, but unlike the times when the feeling was of excitement, that time was of fear of what he might do to her. There was obviously nothing beyond that sadistic monster. Nothing that he wouldn't do to hurt everyone, even shatter the heart of a young vampire probably beyond reparability. Thankfully, he removed his hands, and jogged away from Caroline, back to stand between her and the younger Salvatore.

'You'll remember that the next time you try to pull a stunt, I believe' he smirked, addressing the Salvatores as he theatrically waved his hands in the air.

Stefan clenched his jaw 'You think that manipulating an innocent woman makes you any more feared? You think it would make anyone respect you more?' he spat 'Well, it does not. It only shows how repulsive and low you are'

Klaus squinted at Stefan before flashing towards him and digging his hand in his chest. Stefan gasped with pain as Caroline's hand shot up to her mouth and more tears flew from her eyes.

'You are in no position to make such statements, mate. So I suggest that you keep that mouth of yours shut or else I will end your miserable existence without even flinching' Klaus threatened menacingly.

'Go ahead' Stefan choked out 'What's stopping you?'

Klaus smirked amusedly at Stefan before tightening his grip around his heart. Stefan's face contorted with pain.

'Don't!' Caroline yelped and Klaus flinched. His face turned into a slightly desperate one but quickly resumed its devil smirk. Or at least that was what Stefan could register through his increasingly foggy vision 'Please don't' Caroline pleaded 'I will do anything you want, just don't kill him' her voice shook. Klaus's head snapped back to her, his eyes landing on her tears-smeared, pain-filled, desperate face 'Please' she whispered to him. He kept a straight face as his hand slowly retracted from Stefan's chest who sighed with relief.

'Ending your suffering is far too easy' Klaus said coldly, turning back to face Caroline 'And I owe you for all the pleasure you've given me, Miss Forbes' he smirked, looking her up and down as though mentally stripping her.

It was that moment exactly that blood flew from Caroline's mouth. Every blood bag she had drank during the past twenty-four hours leaving her system as she crouched beside one of the Salvatores' couches and everything just left her stomach, no longer enduring the painfully disgusting feeling his words gave her, no longer enduring the extreme spitefulness of his devious face that was supposed to be the picture she would paint whenever asked about the reason behind her happiness.

'Now, love, don't pretend like you did not enjoy it, too!' he mocked between chuckles. And that only made her vomit more blood.

'I see that my job is done here' Klaus shrugged and jogged towards the door 'For today' he added with a smirk before disappearing into the darkening night sky.

_What have I just done?_ Was Klaus's only thought.

* * *

Elena rubbed her neck uncomfortably as she snapped out of unconsciousness. She could smell blood heavily in the air and hear the sounds of hysterical sobs mixed with the unpleasant voice of someone's stomach being forcefully emptied along with Stefan's concerned, but extremely weak voice, and the humming of someone in deep pain. When her vision finally focused back, her eyes landed on Stefan, tied to a chair with a stake planted in his side.

'Stefan!' she almost shrieked, jumping to her feet. She quickly removed the stake from his side and untied the slightly vervained rope from round his body with great difficulty. He did not seem the least bit concerned about himself, though, when she held his face in her hands and forced him to look at her.

'Are you OK, Stefan?' she asked him urgently, anxiously.

'He did this' was all he managed to say weakly. She followed his distant eyes until an unexpected figure met them. Caroline was vomiting blood all over the floor of the mansion between sobs, looking not only distressed but also in great agony and absolute pain. Then her eyes wandered to where Damon was desperately hanging from the ceiling. She jogged towards the older Salvatore, attempting to remove the ropes but failing continuously. They were so soaked with vervain that her fingers stung by the mere contact with them.

'What's going on?' came a familiar voice from the doorway. Elena turned to see Bonnie wide-eyed, staring at the frightening scene in front of her.

'I don't know what happened' Elena said quickly 'One second we were talking and the next I see Klaus flashing through the door and snapping my neck!' she blurted out. And then it hit her why Caroline was here and why she looked absolutely horrific.

_Oh no! _Elena gasped in harmony with Bonnie as the idea sank in.

'He did this' Caroline finally chocked out, more blood following her sentence.

'If you don't mind, I'm in great pain here' Damon's sarcasm was evident even when he could barely keep his eyes opened.

'Bonnie, please?' Elena gestured towards Damon 'They are soaked with vervain I can't get them off' Bonnie nodded, too shocked for an argument.

'Oh my God' Jeremy said from the same spot where Bonnie stood a second before.

'Jeremy go get a couple of blood bags' Elena immediately demanded, her eyes flashing to Stefan's still weak figure. Her brother complied silently.

'Caroline' Elena started, flashing towards her crouched friend 'Caroline, are you OK?' she added, putting her hands on Caroline's shoulders and squeezing them gently 'Did he hurt you?' Elena added urgently, her heart breaking at the sight of her friend's pain.

'Very much, Elena' was all Caroline could whisper shakily. The harm was not physical which sounded far more merciful than what he had actually done.

Bonnie was done untying Damon by then, and joined the two girls crouching beside them, careful not to touch the puddle of blood caused by Caroline's shock and hysteria.

'What happened?' Bonnie asked gently.

'He lied' Caroline said, facing her friends for the first time with a cold expression that was only appropriate for indifference 'He lied' she repeated more heatedly, her face contorting with pain. Bonnie and Elena shared a look 'He lied!' she yelled at the top of her lungs as tears sprung from her eyes.

Elena wrapped her arms around Caroline, and the latter buried her face in Elena's neck, repeating 'He lied!' between her violent sobs.

Caroline felt a stabbing, staggering, overwhelming, heart-wrenching pain coursing through her veins along with her dead blood. When she experienced the pain of having Vervain dribbled into her veins at the hands of her father and Alaric, she thought that that would be as painful as it could possibly get, that any further pain would result to certain death. And indeed it resulted in death, because what she felt was beyond the pain of death, what she felt was more than dead. She simply felt nothing but pain with every blink of an eye, with every breath, with every word, nothing but pain, pain and more pain was all she could feel, that she wished she was dead.

Because she and Niklaus were for-never.

* * *

**I'm not even going to say anything, leaving all analyzing for you guys! Tell me what you think of this and if it all made sense to you guys, and you have complete and full permission to send me hate messages as much as you want because actually, I kinda hate myself, too right now! LOL! **

**Oh and I have tumblr now in case you want to hate me there, my URL is lostheart95. So if you have questions, drabbles requests, excessive urge to fangirl or too much hatred towards me after this chapter..etc, I'll be there :D **

**Bye guys! See you in next chapter... **


	28. Cry, You Damned Devil!

**Hello everyone! How are you guys? First of all, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE REVIEWS ON THE LAST CHAPTER! I really thought that you guys would kill me but it turned out you liked it! Wohoo *does a little happy dance***

**Second of all, I am so sorry this took so long but I really had to get this right so I didn't wanna rush it. But now it's here!**

**Third of all, Klaroline next week you guys! I CAN'T WAIT! **

**Oh, and finally something that's relevant to the chapter, this is very emotional, and to get the full feel of it I'd suggest listening to "It feels like the end" by Mikky Ekko and/or "She Went Quietly" by Charlie Winston while reading it and I suggest the latter for the last couple of scenes. I know I usually don't recommend songs while reading the chaps but these would heighten your emotions. Also, to get the full experience, you have to cry (scratch that). **

**Happy reading... I guess :P **

* * *

**28: Cry, you Damned Devil! **

'We should just flee town' Damon glared at Jeremy's suggestion, giving him a judgmental look.

'What?' Jeremy sharply eyed Damon 'How long can we stay locked-up in here before he finds a way to barge in and kill us all?' he questioned, crossing his arms on his chest.

The group of friends had gathered in Elena's house, taking little, temporary comfort in the knowledge that Klaus was not invited in. Fretfulness was quite evident in everyone's eyes and nervous movements as Elena sat close to Stefan on the couch and Damon sat on the rectangular table facing them. Jeremy was leaning against the wall, too petrified to stay seated while Bonnie paced restlessly back and forth, something that was increasingly unnerving to everyone, but they kept silent about it for a while. It was Caroline, however, who showed nothing but absolute coolness, like someone had frosted her figure with ice that she no longer could move, nor could she come out of its stinging coldness. She was sitting on a couch in the corner, her knees brought up to her chest as she seemed to crumble down upon herself. She fazed in and out of conversation, a tear or two would trickle down her face every now and then. She did not respond to any kind of comfort or any kind of words her friends had to say. They all tried, but to no avail, and trying became far more depressing than the lack of it. They gave up on the matter as their survival instinct won over, and decided to give her some space.

If only_ that_ would help...

Not that giving up was easy, for worry and anxiety tore at their minds. Despite all the physically excruciating pain Klaus had put them through, it was Caroline who suffered the most, it was her that had little hope of surviving his schemes. The agony would kill her, even if Klaus did not.

Fidgeting agitatedly in his seat, Stefan acknowledged an irresponsive Caroline

'What do you think, Care?' he gently asked.

They all held their breaths, going absolutely still as though the blonde's words would be far too low for them to hear, far too fragile to tolerate any kind of movement. The-once-ball-of-sunshine said nothing, though, furthering their fright as is maximized and alternated between fear for their survival from the Original Hybrid, and fear for their friend's sanity from his doing.

After far more patience than anyone could bear in such conditions, Stefan sighed, sharing a bewildered gaze with his brother's angry one; angrier than anyone would have anticipated. None dared to question the motivation of his anger. Whether it was Caroline's hurt that infuriated him or her blindness towards Klaus's dreadfulness and following her foolish heart into a trap that was meant to crush her probably too far beyond salvaging, none wanted to know. Such subject was far too trivial to be discussed, and should they approach it, much hurt will force itself upon their crushed friend. Damon might be on the verge of scolding her and no one wanted to push him over the edge. Caroline needed nothing but comfort at the moment, even though that was rather miserably useless and absolutely helpless, but it was all they could offer.

'Maybe Jeremy is right' Stefan lastly said 'We can't stay here much longer'

'Yeah,' Elena started, clearing her throat 'But I don't wanna spend the rest of my eternity running away from Klaus' she reasoned.

'That's better than getting killed' Jeremy impatiently stated.

Bonnie sighed 'But if we are to run away, all of us will have to; including our loved ones or he'll use them against us; which means Matt and Liz have to leave as well, and Abby has to make herself invisible. And life on the run is not such a captivating idea' she said without stopping her nervous pace.

All went silent again for several minutes, deeply sinking into thoughts, raking their brains for anything that would remove the threat that lurked behind their backs and before their eyes.

'Can't we negotiate a truce?' suggested Elena

'Yeah, sure' Damon mocked 'Negotiate a truce with the psychotic, sadistic serial killer with nothing to bargain on and expect him to stay put' he smiled in a sardonically victorious manner.

Stefan rolled his eyes.

'We have the white oak stake' Elena pointed out 'We can give it to him in exchange of leaving us alone'

'Are we supposed to trust that he's gonna leave us alone after we give him what he wants?' Stefan inquired calmly 'We did that once already and it only ended tragically' he sadly glanced at Caroline's still figure.

Elena swallowed a lump in her throat, stopping the threatening tears from bursting in a flow from her eyes. She didn't need them now.

'Do we have any other choice?' Elena slumped in her seat in frustration.

'We can kill him' came the-once-cheery voice in a dreadfully cold whisper 'we have to kill him' Caroline again muttered.

All eyes fell on her distant face, as their movements and breaths ceased to exist. Was it really Caroline they were seeing or was it a ghost that formed itself into an obnoxiously depressing tormented version of her?

'We'd do that, but that means the death of us, too' Damon answered slowly and surprisingly with complete seriousness that it caught everyone off-guard.

Nothing witty or sarcastic? Impressive.

But all things extraordinary were happening, why shouldn't a gleam of Damon's decency emerge in front of anyone who's not Elena?

'We'll desiccate him' Caroline said with that same cold tone that did not quite belong to her, sounding a pitch higher and a level more infuriated 'throw his rotten body in the ocean and relieve the world from his smile'

Bonnie shot her a sympathetic glance as tears danced in her eyes. Elena dropped her eyes to her hands were they lay tightly clasped on her lap; Stefan gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

'But his siblings….' Stefan started quietly, fighting the tightness of his throat as he, too, seemed on the verge of tears.

'We'll kill them with that white oak stake and finish everything' she spat, not quite as cold as before, but not herself all the same.

'That's suicidal, Caroline' Damon said slowly.

'It's suicidal all the same' she snapped, her eyes finally meeting her friends and losing their distant look into a raging glare, so smoldering that almost fire could be caused from their effect. Pain no longer lingered in her mind, time for self-petty would come, right? She would feel pain again, right? Yes, because her heart ached like no time before and no time after.

But if she wanted to endure the pain, she would have to let anger mask it. She had to let it take over, because if anguish is what she felt, it would destroy her.

'If we run away, our lives would turn to hell infinitely. And if we trust him with a truce…' her voice trailed off and her jaw clenched at the memory of his face under the rainy sky

'Because I'm the one who's madly in love with you' he had said with those adorable dimples. The way his face dripped with sincerity and how her heart jumped with joy between her ribs, feelings and emotions that were too delightful to be described ripped through her entire being was unforgettable.

What a sick joke!

How come he could have been such a good actor, such a terrific liar that not for a second had she questioned the genuineness of his feelings that moment, under that rainy sky? Or was it her who was too foolish, too blinded by her feelings that she could not see the signs?

It mattered no longer. Because that night, under that rainy sky she had believed him, and she had loved him, and she had let him make love to her. He had ravished her then for the first time and she had enjoyed it, she had enjoyed every single second of it, she had enjoyed the feeling of his lips on hers and the touch of his hands caressing every inch of her body, from the soft cheeks down to the neck and shoulders, to her breasts and stomach, down to her thighs… so tender, so real, so fulfilling, so breathtaking that her dead heart almost started beating again, that she moaned his name adoringly against his lips as he slid into her while her whole body shivered with anticipation and pleasure that could only be felt by his touch. It had been so much more than lust for her. Oh, how much more it was, how much all those divine feelings invaded her whenever she was in his arms. It was then and only then that she felt whole. It was then and only then that her happiness felt complete, there, in his arms, feeling nothing but his warmth surrounding her, and his presence overwhelming her.

But he had destroyed it all.

She found herself wishing that he had died instead of what actually occurred, for then she would have been able to mourn him, to mourn the memory of him; she would have been able to miss him. After what happened… After what he had done, she even lost her memories of him, they were demolished, destroyed, ruined, wrecked, gone, dead, disgusting, excruciating that she just wished them to be erased; may their disappearance carry the end of her pain, or her life altogether if it was the only way to stop the hurt.

Where was that humanity switch anyway? Wasn't it the thing that vampires loved to brag about a tad too much? Why couldn't she find it? She had never thought of it, nor lingered for a second to where its existence in her mind might be, because all pain before was something she could overcome. But what her once-beloved had done, made the idea too appealing to be true and made her attempts to find that switch far too desperate to be called sane.

And how could they not be desperate if the beauty of those memories was now tarnished? Every time she recalled the fact that she had screamed out his name on that wide-bed she was overwhelmed with disgust that made her want to lose every single blood-drop in her stomach. Every time she remembered how she had allowed him to pleasure repeatedly and have his way with her constantly, she wanted to take off her daylight ring and be burned, may the burn be more painful than those memories. Even that was wishful thinking. And her lips? Gosh how much they had kissed his, how very slowly he used to taste her, lingering on her bottom lip and sliding his tongue into her mouth, tasting every bit of her and burning her slowly with that skilled way only he knew. For so long they would just kiss, because it was the only thing they wanted to do sometimes, because it was the only way they knew how to express their feelings with. Well, she expressed hers, while he enjoyed her far too passionate expressing a tad too much. Could she just detach her lips from her face? Because they still tingle with the feel of his, because she could still feel the taste of his on them, she just wished if there was a way to get rid of them. But even that wishful thought was short-lived. May she remove her lips; the memories of his kisses would live on in her mind.

And now they want to trust him with a truce? Had they not learned anything?! Was it some sort of a joke that fate had decided to throw in her face so it could test her patience? Klaus could not be trusted. He crushed hearts and souls easily like a glass in his hands.

Caroline was the glass once. He had crushed her once. And she would never allow him to do that again. Even though her remnants were nothing but tiny pieces that could neither be put back together nor crushed any further.

'He cannot be trusted' she firmly concluded and all dropped their gazes. Caroline's eyes gleamed that moment, but not with that spark that expressed her love of life and made her beauty extremely breathtaking, the fire was insistence and determination for vengeance. Blazing, destructive fire it was.

And Stefan winced. Caroline would soon lose her humanity, and he had no idea what could possibly restore it.

* * *

'Is it true?' Rebekah asked Klaus as soon as she set foot in the living-room of the mansion, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief. Imagine her surprise when she went to school in the morning, completely unaware of her brother's return to town, to be greeted with Matt's anger.

'Is what true, Rebekah?' Klaus coldly asked her from his position in front of the fireplace, staring on towards the fire that seemed to burn the life in him more rapidly than the wooden logs.

'What you have done to the Salvatores, is it true?' she hurriedly asked, coming closer to his a-tad-too-still figure.

'Yes' he briefly answered, with an ice-cold almost cruel tone in his voice.

Rebekah dropped her eyes, staring intently at the carpeted floor. How would she ask him what she really wanted to ask? How could she ask him the question that was eating her alive? The question was _WHY?_ Elijah had happily informed that they, Klaus and Caroline, were together, romanticizing, in love, what happened in heaven's name?

'Nik, and what about Caroline…?' she breathed, quite unable to finish her question. Whether it was lack of words that stopped her or fear from his reaction, she did not know.

Klaus did not turn to face his sister, nor did he bother to answer her half question. Instead, he downed the last remaining drops in his glass of Scotch. How many had he drunk? He could not tell. But he could tell that even though he had been gulping one glass after another since he had left the Salvatores' house the night before, it had not contributed the least bit in easing the waves and waves of anguish that rushed through him. They made it hard to breathe. They made it hard to even function or see beyond his bleeding wounds; wounds that he had caused not only for himself, but for the person he loved nothing more than her in the world, the one whose smile was the reason for his genuine one; whose arms were the only place he could call home, where he could feel warm, where he could feel loved and hear the thuds of his dead heart whisper her name every passing second.

How could he have done that? Was he that monstrous that even hurting _her _was not beyond him? Was he that cruel that he had to crush the one person who truly loved him just because she had scratched that intolerably broken heart of his? How can one hurt the people they love? How could one tolerate the sight of their pain? Wasn't it that her tears brought heartache for him when he was not the reason behind them? How could he become the very reason of her pain? Did everyone put their loved ones through hell and back, or was it just him who couldn't love without destroying his loved one? Or maybe he was too much of a coward, maybe he was too fearful that as soon as the idea of her leaving him swept through his mind, he decided to be the one who ended things, as though his crushing her would make it somehow more tolerable than it being the other way around. Klaus could never trust enough, could he?

He did not know. And did it truly matter if he did? Was it really significant in any way?

No! No! Simply no! Because the damage is done, and even the mighty hybrid could not ever take back what he had done. May he compel her to forget, then bring down civilizations for her eyes, catch the stars and put out the sun for her smile, wreck the world and change the color of the skies for her happiness, to make all the pain go away and all the hurt wash away, it would never erase from _his _memory the sight of her shocked face, or the disgusted gaze she had given him, or the way she flinched when he touched her. Nor will it erase from her subconscious the hatred she had towards him, nor the pain he had caused her.

How come being hated by her did not feel the slightest bit satisfying? His whole point was to leave her before she inevitably did, but then again he found himself feeling daggers piercing through his heart repeatedly at the thought of her loathe.

He was wrong. He was not ready. He was far too fragile and far too impulsive and far too cowardly for a relationship. He should have walked away the moment he realized that he loved her, the moment the feeling of her lips on his brought warmth and happiness to his entire being. He should have stopped his calculated retaliation plan.

Why had he been so arrogant that he had to prove to himself that he was capable of such cruelty? Why did he have to be so stubborn, so very hard and cold that he kept his feelings locked-up in a case at the very back of his mind, and did not allow them to surface?

But they had, because Caroline had found the keys to that dark dungeon where he kept his feelings, she had found the keys to the unbreakable lock of his heart. And the keys were her smile, her radiant, beautiful, breathtaking smile; the smile he probably would never see once again, nor will it reflect the love she once held for him.

He should have let her go that rainy night. He should have known that love would hurt them both. At least if he had walked away back then, they would have been able to get over it, but after all those nights in each other's arms, all those days with love surrounding them, and happiness glowing from their eyes? How does one move on from the only thing that brought happiness after years and years of loneliness and pain? And after he, himself, destroyed it? There was no redemption then, there was no salvation. Not a million years alive would end the intolerable, stabbing pain. Not a million years would erase her smile or her name that was deeply carved across his heart. Not a million years would make him fall out of love with her. Not a million years would be enough for him to forget his remorse.

Oh, how much his heart was bleeding! Oh, how much it had no right to be bleeding!

'Nik…' Rebekah tried again once his silence prevailed for far too long.

'What do you want Rebekah?' He snapped without intending to sound quite so impatient.

Rebekah stopped dead in her tracks, shaking her head frantically as the sight of the back of Klaus's head seemed to tell her as much as the sight of his eyes.

_'Nik has no tolerance for those who disappoint him' _

She sighed 'Oh my God, Nik, what have you done?' was all she could say. Her tears suddenly began to from in her eyes for no apparent reason.

'Nothing out of the ordinary, baby sister' he said, but without the usual pride or the usual smirk in his voice whilst bragging about how much pain he inflected on others. His voice betrayed him. Sad, almost broken it came, carrying the sorrow and the pain along with it.

'You did this to push her away, didn't you?' Rebekah heatedly accused, frowning as a tear trickled down her face 'You will never change, will you?'

'Rebekah' his voice was a warning.

'It kills you, doesn't it? What you have done to her kills you every waking moment because you love her' Rebekah shakily said, her throat tightening as tears overwhelmed her sad face.

'Rebekah' he said a little louder, and a lot sharper.

But she was not going to stop, pacing closer towards him until she was beside him, staring at the not-so-concealing-profile of his face 'You love her and she loved you but you still did not trust her!'

'Sister' he said through gritted teeth 'I think you should shut up now'

'What did she do, Nik? Did she make you doubt for the tiniest second that she would leave you that you decided to do this to her?' Rebekah insisted.

'Stop it, sister' Klaus snapped, trembling from head to toe and his hand tightening around the empty glass.

'No I will not stop, Nik!' she shouted 'You fool! How could you do this and break your heart as much as hers? How could you be such a fool, brother? Have you no faith in anyone? Have you no hope of being happy that you destroy it as soon as it becomes in your grasp? Why….'

But she couldn't finish the sentence for Klaus thundered in her face 'Stop it!' and crushed the glass in the process, tiny cuts on his palm showing for a second before closing again.

His chest heaved up and down with anger, his eyes shimmering with tears as he became increasingly overwhelmed with ache.

'Oh God, Nik, what have you done?' Rebekah asked, lightly shaking her head and making no attempt at all to hide her streaming tears.

'I need a drink' he muttered, storming away from his sister 'A fresh one' he said at last before flashing out of the mansion.

Rebekah stared at the vacant space of his tracks, a mixture of sadness and disappointment tightening her chest.

Without further hesitation she snatched her phone and dialed the number quickly.

'Elijah, where are you?' she asked as soon as he picked up.

'In New York' Elijah answered calmly 'Is something wrong, Rebekah?'

'I need you here, Elijah. Nik needs you here'

* * *

Caroline was silently sitting on the same couch where she had been sitting for the past twelve hours, planted there in her place and drowning in her thoughts, when Damon silently sat next to her.

'Go ahead' she said after a few moments of silence 'Do it. Scold me. Get it out of your system' she said with a distant look that matched her tone.

Damon sadly chuckled, looking down at his feet as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees 'Not this time, Barbie. Not this time' he shook his head with that same sad manner that was not exactly a habit of his. However, Caroline's pain was so evident that not feeling it was impossible.

'I used to like the rain' she said suddenly, staring out through the window towards the pouring rain 'I used to love the rain, but then he ruined it for me' she muttered.

Damon turned to her face. Her eyes suggested that she was not exactly talking to him. She seemed stuck in a completely different place; stuck inside her head probably.

'It was in the rain, you know' she continued, not quite caring whether Damon was listening or not 'When he first confessed his love to me' she said and Damon gave her a sympathetic look, not knowing what else to do.

_Where the hell is Stefan?_ Was his thought. Basically, they had agreed to not leave her alone at all expenses, for fear that she might hurt herself. It was rather hard for them to admit that this factor was more than a little bit likely.

'Confessed his love?' Caroline frowned suddenly, turning her head to face Damon's confused eyes 'Confessed his _love?_' she said again, a mocking smile playing at the corners of her lips.

Mercifully for Damon, Stefan walked back into the living room that moment, frowning in confusion at his brother's disgruntled face.

'_Confessed his love! What a sick joke!' _Caroline exclaimed, bursting into a fit of hysterical laughter. Damon immediately shot up from his seat and left the room giving his brother the "she's all yours"-look.

Stefan sighed and sat beside her as she continued to laugh hysterically 'Confessed his love! Oh my God!' she kept saying 'And I was stupid enough to believe it!' she beamed again and continued to laugh.

Stefan shook his head

'How stupid was that?' she asked between laughs 'How stupid was that? How… how stupid was that?' and the laughter turned into uncontrollable sobbing 'I was so stupid. I'm so stupid' she began saying until her throat tightened with tears and words ceased to leave her mouth for it became hard to breathe, for it became hard to form words.

Stefan wrapped his arms around her then, not knowing what else to do. His own eyes formed tears and his heart broke at the sight of her pain. Oh, much he wished he had forced her to come back with him to the United States that day when he met her in England with that glow of admiration in her eyes and the first signs of falling in love all over her face. Why did he not drag her back to her home? Why did he not force her by strength to hop on a plane with him? Of course she would have hated him, she would have scolded him and he would not have heard the end of it, but at least, she wouldn't be so broken, so crushed.

She suddenly pulled away, frowning angrily at Stefan. Shooting up to her feet with tears streaming down her face she started yelling

'You said that I could turn it off! You said that I can stop feeling the pain!'

Stefan sighed deeply, heaviness overwhelming him as he stared down at his hands.

'You said that I won't have to feel anything!' She continued to shout 'Where the fuck is that switch? Because I can't find it anywhere, because I'm angry and in pain and all kinds of tormented that I can kill anyone any given moment from my emotions and _I still can't find it!_ So where the fuck is it?' she paced the room, as though about to tear her own hair out just to distract the mental pain.

'It's not simply a switch, Caroline' Stefan quietly answered 'You don't exactly choose when it all goes down the drain. Once everything is just too much and you have absolutely nothing to hold on to, that's when it all stops'

'Well, everything hurts like a bitch! Why can't I just stop feeling?' she asked exasperatedly.

'Rage is the first step towards it' Stefan pointed out calmly.

'Oh' she mouthed and dropped her gaze to the floor.

She did not really know how it would be like to not feel anything at all; the thought was quite surreal to her. And she could not quite comprehend how feeling absolute nothingness, how feeling only blankness could possibly be comforting and not a complete torment unto itself.

But it was not a choice. If she wanted to survive this, she would have to take that route.

Did she really want to survive that pain? Did she really have anything to survive for?

'I need fresh air' she muttered, gasping at the thought and proceeding to the door.

'Caroline you can't leave! Klaus will find you and …' Stefan started reasoning but she cut him off with a bitterly sarcastic tone.

'Will find me and do what, Stefan? Rip out my heart? Let him! Isn't that better than what I'm going through?!'

* * *

_'Rip out my heart? Let him! Isn't that better than what I'm going through?!' _

Klaus was eavesdropping on Caroline near the Gilbert's house, that was how pathetically anxious he became. It was not like he intended to end up wandering through the streets that were too close to the house, but his legs dragged him despite the protests his mind faintly made. The effect of the alcohol finally kicked-in, but it was not even remotely the comforting numbness he had hoped it would be, rather intensifying his misery and making it hard for him to control his actions. The pouring rain aroused memories of her that increased his torment as it reminded him of her happy face back in that night that changed everything, and he found himself near the Gilbert house.

And then he heard her pain, the pain he had inflected on her.

_What else did you expect? That she would be dancing of happiness?_ His brain scoffed. Self-loathing was not something particularly new to him.

But a part of him, a pathetic one, actually hoped that she would be completely OK with what he had done, so what he had done would be the right thing, a very wishful part of him that he did not even want to acknowledge its existence.

She was too much in pain that she wanted to turn-off her humanity and the thought terrified Klaus more than a little. The thought made his chest tighten, made his heart sink between his ribs. He tried to imagine Caroline without her humanity and the thought was unbearable, even more so when he realized that he had caused its disappearance.

NO! She was his Sweet Caroline. She had to stay his Sweet Caroline. Maybe not _his _Sweet Caroline anymore, he would give up on that if it meant Sweet Caroline would continue to exist, would continue to fill the world with light by her radiant smile, would continue to roam the world happy, light, warm, caring and breathtakingly beautiful.

The second he heard her stepping out of the house, he flashed towards it. She did not notice him at first, as she stepped into the rain with her arms tightly crossed on her chest, hugging herself as though that would stop her from falling apart. He gulped down at the sight, staying several feet behind and observing her posture intently. It was then that he realized that for the first time in his life, he might beg for forgiveness even though he knew it was something he could not be granted, nor had the right to demand it to begin with.

'Caroline' he called after her shakily.

She stopped dead in her tracks. Hearing him call her name had never felt more awful, for all she wanted to do was turn around and push a stake through his heart, then relish in the fact that she did not have to live without him and would soon follow him. Oh, how pitiful she was! Even after all he had done, she knew that she could not live without him. She could not live with him, either, so what was the answer? Did anybody have the answer?

Yes! It was the goddamned humanity switch that had it! Where was it?

Slowly, she turned around. She did not want to feel sorry for him when her eyes met his expression, but she did. She felt so very sad for him. Because then he was not only filled with guilt, but also with desperation. And that made her realize that he might not have been quite so honest about his declarations, maybe just _maybe _there was truth in the lie. And even though the sight of his so-called pain should have eased her own, she found out that it was quite the opposite, because her own heart began cracking further.

_Or maybe he was that much great of an actor; that manipulative bastard. _

Even with her mind's warnings, she could not stop hurting over the sight of him. It was like someone had stuck a knife on her back and was dragging it down and sinking it deeper into her flesh every second.

'What do you want?' she spat, shaking her head at him and failing to stop her tears 'Huh? What do you want from me? Haven't you done enough?' she shouted at him, stepping closer to him while he dropped his gaze.

'I'm so sorry' was all he could utter. The big bad hybrid knew not what else to say.

'So _sorry?_' she laughed humorlessly 'That's why you are here? To say fucking sorry?' and the laughter died out 'Is that some sick joke, Klaus? Do you enjoy watching me suffering from what you have done? Do you want me to kill myself?' she asked him, as the rain continued to pour down on them while neither truly cared about it.

'No!' he protested, panic obvious in his tone 'No, Caroline, I'm not worth it!' he admitted, tears in his own eyes 'I'm not worth your pain or your love Caroline' he added in a whisper.

'Aren't you?' she asked him, tilting her head so she could look into his tortured eyes 'Aren't you worth the pain, Klaus? No, you are not.' she coldly said, adding with a pith higher but all the same pained voice 'But Niklaus was worth the pain, the man I loved, the man who you truly are, the one you killed. And even when you killed him you had to destroy his memory that I can't even mourn him anymore. I can't even hurt over the fact of his missing smile because it was nothing but a lie. Why did you do that to me, Klaus? What have I done so awfully that I deserved that from you?' her voice trembled and her lips quivered.

He couldn't even bring himself to look her in the eyes, dreading the expression he would see that might be the end of him 'It was not all a lie, Caroline' he muttered shamefully.

'I don't believe you' she simply said after a few moments of silence and turned on her heels, heading back to the house.

'No, Caroline' Klaus desperately cried out, grabbing her elbow and forcing her to look at his face that was soaked with the tears as well as the rain, but she couldn't tell. Nonetheless, the pain in his eyes spoke volumes 'Please, you have to listen' he pleaded.

'No you listen' she shouted, shrugging his hand off 'I loved you! _I loved you! _And I was willing to do anything and give up everything for you because I loved you. Gosh how much I loved you' the sharpness of her voice was gone then, to be replaced by wounded whispers 'all I wanted was you. I was willing to be with only you, because you meant everything for me, and your arms were the only place I ever wanted to be. I loved you through hell and back. I loved you despite all. I loved you with every breathing second. I loved you while awake and while asleep. I loved you. I frigging _loved _you' she shook her head in misery, her voice breaking when she whispered her last sentence 'So why did you destroy me, Klaus?'

'Because I'm stupid' he muttered repeatedly.

She turned around no longer enduring looking at him.

'Caroline, please' she heard him beg as she headed back into the house.

Without looking back she slammed the door shut.

Suddenly crippled with pain, he dropped to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably as the rain hit him everywhere. The pouring rain did not wash away the tears, nor did it help ease his pain.

'I was so stupid'

Under the rainy sky he had found love.

Under the rainy sky he had lost it.

* * *

She slammed the door shut, leaning against it. Shaking in her boots, not with cold, but with pain, she stood. Gradually, she sank down into the floor, curling in a ball. She could no longer endure it. She could no longer resist it. The anguish was so overwhelming so terrifyingly torturous that she gave up to the violent sobs that escaped her. She felt the tears streaming down her face. She felt her heart clenching. There was a grip around it, squeezing the life out of that fragile organ, scraping its claws against it. She felt it all, the pain, the torment, the anguish, she felt it all. And the grip around her heart was tightening so much that it was suffocating, that she thought ripping her own heart out would not be as painful.

She cried out at the top of her lungs with pain, feeling her heart turn into dust.

She felt it all.

She felt too much.

And then there was nothing. Sudden blankness took over her. There were no tears. There was no grip around her heart. There was no pain over the man she loved. There was no love to begin with. There was simply nothing.

She did not care anymore.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! What did you guys think? Please let me know :D **

**I'm afraid there isn't much left in this story, only three chapters, four at most, including the epilogue. I kinda can't believe I've made it this far. **

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**Until next time!**

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	29. The Damage is Done

**Hi everyone! I KNOW! FINALLY! I'm so sorry, I had tests for the past two weeks and couldn't write anything. but now the chapter is here :D**

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**Happy reading :D**

* * *

**29: The Damage Is Done**

Elena's frightened stare was fixated on Caroline's trembling figure. The blonde vampire had her back against the door as she hugged her knees up to her chest, embracing them and curling to a ball. This movement felt like a desperate attempt to keep herself together. For some reason, that was beyond Elena, she couldn't move an inch, gazing wide-eyed with fear written all over her face at what she thought was her friend's meltdown, the moment that all knew would come, but nonetheless hoped that the inevitable wouldn't happen.

So much pain was expressed in a shriek that escaped Caroline's mouth which made Elena snap out of her frenzy and stride towards her, despite her complete unawareness of what should be done. The loud scream brought everyone's attention to where Caroline was collapsing and the Salvatores were by the door in less than a second, followed by a mortified Bonnie.

To say that Damon was relieved that the shriek was not caused by Klaus's ability to break through would have been an understatement.

'Caroline' Elena urged, kneeling down next to her along with Stefan whose face was turned into a worried frown. Caroline did not answer, but continued to sob uncontrollably, tightly holding herself together as though cracks were beginning to show in her skin and she'll soon shatter 'Care, are you OK?' Elena tried again, carefully placing a soothing hand on Caroline's shoulder.

The blonde's sobs suddenly came to a halt and all went deafeningly silent. Her body froze and her face went vacant with the blank stare her once-warm eyes held.

Stefan gulped down 'Caroline' he softly whispered. Elena shared a bewildered look with Stefan.

'What's going on?' Bonnie asked anxiously from her standing position several feet behind.

'Caroline, Can you hear me?' Stefan said more urgently, his voice a pitch higher.

'What do you mean can I hear you? Of course I can!' Caroline's ringing, slightly sharp, tone caught everyone off guard as she suddenly pulled herself up to a seating position.

'What's wrong with you, guys? You're cornering my personal space!' She snapped, shoeing them away with a gesture of her hand.

Something was incredibly wrong about her demeanor. The look in her eyes held something that was not sadness, but not the spark that lit them, either. It was vacant, blank, almost robotic.

'Uh-OK' Stefan muttered, backing away along with Elena.

Caroline stood up, smoothing her clothes.

'Caroline, are you OK?' Stefan asked cautiously. That was suddenly the only question he could form.

'Never better!' she almost-sang. But the sound of it was still off. No one could quite place what it was, but something was terribly wrong about it.

She turned rapidly to her right and met the reflection of her face in the mirror.

'Oh God! I look horrible!' she yelped, taking in the sight of her messy hair and still-wet face from her heated tears that were only shed a few seconds before.

'Oh no' her four friends mouthed in harmony as the realization hit.

'I knew it, Goddammit!' Stefan huffed, clenching his jaw.

'Yeah, yeah, yeah, whiny me in gone' she shrugged off 'I thought turning off my humanity would be horrible, but this is the best thing! I don't feel anything! It's like everything is perfect and all I want is to go out for a drink. Anyone cares to join me?' she asked, giving both Stefan and Damon a flirtatious look.

'No' Damon snapped 'No one is leaving. Klaus is still out there, waiting for his chance to strike and kill us all' he scolded.

Caroline raised her eyebrows amusedly 'You mean that lost, wet puppy sitting in the middle of the road?' she pointed through the window to Klaus's still figure as he sat under the rain like a beggar, a position that did not exactly suit him. He did not know what he wanted to achieve by sitting motionless, his body going rigid from the pain that rode on through it rather than from the stiffness of his posture.

'Are you seeing what I'm seeing?' Damon asked astonished as he looked through the window with Stefan. Elena popped her little head between the two of them.

'Yep' was all Stefan could mouth, his jaw literally dropping at how broken Klaus looked 'I think he's really not much of a threat anymore' Stefan muttered once snapping out of his dumfounded frenzy.

'Or he's that much of a terrific actor' Damon suggested doubtfully.

'If he wants to come in, then he would have found a way by now' Elena pointed out.

'I guess so' Damon uncertainly agreed.

_What kind of a stupid man would do that to himself? _Stefan thought, wincing at the sudden pity he felt towards Klaus.

'See?' Caroline beamed from behind them 'I'm going out for a drink. After I change into something less decent though' she added, smirking at Damon or Stefan or maybe both, no one could quite tell, and that earned her a profound sigh from Elena.

'Great' Damon groaned 'Going for a real drink or a fake one?'

'Both' she winked 'and maybe even something else just as fun' she mischievously added suggestively.

'Fine' Damon impatiently huffed 'I'll go with you'

Elena glared at him.

'Relax' he rolled his eyes 'I'll just keep her in check'

As he saw it, Stefan couldn't be around temptation; chances were that he would go down the road with her instead of helping her out of it. Elena was too young as a vampire to handle her and her transition was not quite so easy. He was the only one who could handle her and they all knew it.

'And I'll keep him out of check' Caroline interjected, inching closer to him slowly 'Maybe even out of clothes' she seductively added once standing too close to him and placing a hand on his chest, gazing at him through her eye lashes with a look laced with lust and mischief.

_What have you done to her, Klaus? _The thought screamed at Stefan.

* * *

Klaus suddenly found himself wishing if he could cease to exist. The thought had only popped to his head a couple of times during his entire being, and one of those times was caused by supernatural doing; even the other was nothing but a passing thought in a moment of desperation and weakness that he did not allow himself to linger on it.

It was truly the most depressing time he had ever spent in his entire thousand years, under that rainy sky, near that small house, helplessly crouching in the middle of the street. Klaus, the one who shall not be named, the hybrid whose smirk everyone feared and dared not to say otherwise, suddenly found that his entire being was wrapped around the finger of a blonde, beautiful vampire; that his entire being was summed up in one simple word...Caroline; the name that life did not seem quite worth living without.

Contemplating such thoughts was the most frightening of times as well as the most painful. Because then, he was that helpless little boy, his human self. He felt vulnerable and hopeless, feelings that he was not accustomed to, feelings that he had shut off before just for fear that they may overwhelm him. They made him feel like he was not in control over his own heart and life, and that was quite unacceptable.

Not that day, though. That day, nothing could have stopped the flood.

Another thing that Klaus was not accustomed to was the attacks of conscience that seemed to be the only thing he could think of. Klaus had never felt remorse before. It was very odd that no matter how much he had tortured and pained his victims before, as they begged for mercy that he did not possess an ounce of it, he did not feel a thing, but seeing a single tear slip from those baby blue eyes that was caused by him made his heart ache to the point that he would have gladly ripped it out just for her satisfaction.

That was the thing about Klaus. When he loved, he loved to no limits, needless to say that he ever so rarely allowed himself to love. And when he was hurt, he blew back with no mercy. And his loved ones were the ones who always suffered.

And then remorse would come. Usually, he would put a lid on it. It would be a mere passing thought, "maybe I shouldn't have done that" kind of thing; even when it came to hurting his sister. That time "remorse" sounded too trivial of a word that did not really convey what he experienced. He did not settle to hurting her, but also he destroyed her as she rightfully put it.

So he collapsed. Knowing not what else to do, he sat there for an amount of time that he could not care about, hoping beyond reason and beyond sense that he would somehow stop feeling, or that his helplessness would somehow redeem him.

Wishful thinking.

The same kind of thinking he had carried himself proudly before, claiming that he had not such a pathetic habit, suddenly became the only kind functioning in his mind. His mind continued to mercilessly torture him by filling up with Caroline's pictures, with her smile, the sound of her laughter, the taste of her lips, and the feel of her skin under his fingertips.

A hand was placed on his shoulder suddenly. He turned his hollow eyes to whomever the hand belonged to, half-expecting to see the Salvatores with the white oak stake. Instead, though, he saw his brother. Elijah was standing protectively behind him, with an umbrella held above his head which he used to shield his brother from the offensive raindrops.

'Elijah?' Klaus muttered, half-questioning his sanity.

'Come, brother, let's go home' Elijah gently demanded.

* * *

Elijah waited patiently for his brother to change into dry clothes and prepare himself for a long speech that Elijah most certainly intended to give. He stared towards the fire ignited in the living room, taking Klaus's position from earlier.

'What are you going to do, Elijah?' Rebekah asked him, no longer enduring his silence.

'I will talk to him' he simply said, not exactly willing to be interrogated by his sister.

'Talk to him? That's your master plan?' she scoffed, anger slipping through her voice.

'What else do you suggest, sister?' Elijah snapped, turning to his sister with impatience in his eyes.

'He's so hurt, Elijah, he needs more than words!' Rebekah sadly replied, well aware of how helpless they were.

'He's hurt himself, Rebekah. There truly isn't much we can do about it other than talk to him' Elijah composedly told her.

Rebekah dropped her gaze, licking her upper lip.

'For the time being, though' Elijah continued 'I need you to stay in here. Do not leave the house'

'Why is that?' she asked, puzzled by Elijah's odd request.

'We must not forget that the Salvatores still have the undying White Oak stake and now they would want to strike back. So until we have a truce, I do not want you to be the least bit close to becoming collateral damage.' Elijah explained quietly, without showing his edginess at the thought.

'OK' she nodded.

They both went quiet when Klaus stepped into the living-room, heading straight to the stash of liquor at the corner and pouring himself a generous glass of bourbon. Elijah gave Rebekah a meaningful gaze and she complied, darting out of the room, but eavesdropping on them altogether.

He watched Klaus leaning against the table with his back turned to him.

'Would you like to tell me what happened, Niklaus?' Elijah finally asked, giving up on the idea of Klaus starting the conversation.

'No' Klaus said impatiently.

'I see' Elijah said, sitting down on the armchair near the fireplace 'then I will wait until you are ready'

'Don't you have something better to do other than to lecture me, Elijah?' Klaus asked with a sting in his voice, still not facing him.

'I am not here to lecture you, Niklaus.' Elijah retorted 'And no, I do not have anything better than being there for my brother'

Klaus sighed 'Do we really have to do this?' he reluctantly faced Elijah.

'Yes' Elijah insisted.

'Why?' Klaus stalled. He knew how persistent Elijah was that it would be only a matter of time before he would confess everything.

'Because I do not understand what happened' Elijah simply said.

'What's there to understand?' Klaus sarcastically asked.

'Niklaus when I saw you with her in Spain, that was the happiest I've seen you in a thousand years. And we both know that this is not metaphorically speaking' Elijah explained, slightly saddened with the drastic turn of events.

He could see Klaus's grip tightening around the far too fragile glass he was holding.

'It was an act' Klaus spat.

'I do not believe you the least bit' Elijah tilted his head to the side.

'Well, brother, you should, because I've got nothing else to say' with that said through clenched jaw, Klaus turned his back on Elijah again.

Elijah sighed 'If it had been truly an act, then do you care to explain why you have been quite miserable over your misgivings towards her?' he cautiously asked, a billion possibility of Klaus's reaction to his words flashing through his head.

Klaus licked his upper lip 'I'm not miserable. Misery is for the weak' he muttered.

'No' Elijah begged to differ 'Misery is for those who feel, something that you haven't done until Caroline declared herself present in your life'

'Don't say her name, please' Klaus murmured, raising a hand in the air to stop Elijah from saying anything 'Please' he repeated, still without facing him.

'Then how would you like me to refer to her?' Elijah calmly asked, swallowing back a lump in his throat.

_Until when, Niklaus, until when will you keep doing this to yourself? _

'I would like you to stop referring to her altogether. Can't we just forget the whole matter' Klaus answered. The fact that his back was still turned to Elijah increasingly bothered the latter, but Klaus did not trust his face or eyes to not show how excruciatingly pained he was.

'We cannot forget the matter, Niklaus, if you cannot forget it' Elijah reasoned 'it clearly hurts you, brother'

Klaus finally turned to his brother, wearing a defensive angry mask 'I can handle myself, Elijah. You don't need to come and clean my mess. If that is your purpose of this visit, then don't bother' he spat.

'I can guarantee that this is what you told Caroline' Elijah surely said.

Klaus clenched his jaw. It was beyond him how Elijah seemed to know him better than anyone else in the world.

'Forgive me' Elijah dropped his gazed apologetically 'I did not mean it to sound so upsetting'

Klaus chuckled sarcastically causing Elijah to look back at him with a frown. The chuckles gradually grew into humorless, sarcastic laughter; almost hysterical.

'May I ask what do you find so amusing?' Elijah asked, growing uncomfortable with Klaus's behavior. He was acting very much unlike himself.

'I am!' Klaus exclaimed between his hysterical outbursts 'I'm Klaus, the original hybrid that the mention of my name makes everyone shakes in their boots, crying over a girl! How pathetic am I, Elijah?'

'You are not, Niklaus' Elijah managed to keep his voice composed 'You loved her'

Klaus's laughter suddenly halted, staring bewilderedly at Elijah instead as though a conclusion just hit him 'But love is a weakness' he whispered.

Elijah licked his upper lip, averting his gaze from Klaus's.

'I knew that, Elijah' Klaus continued, seeming to be caught in frenzy 'I knew that, but I was a fool. I let myself become weak.' then his voice saddened 'I do not know what made me think that this time would be any different, why it would ever end differently. I hoped it would end differently like the pathetic fool I've let myself become, a lovesick fool who sits by her door, who is willing to beg for forgiveness.' A short moment of silence passed as tears formed in Klaus's eyes 'Why did I do that, Elijah?'

Elijah gulped down, seeming at a complete loss for words 'Because she is different' he uncertainly answered at last.

'Yes, she is' Klaus agreed with a small smile scraping its way to his anguished face 'But I am not. I am the one who destroys everyone who loves me. I should have known better than to hurt her'

Elijah shook his head sadly, leaning forward in his seat and resting his elbows in his knees.

'I still did it. I never thought I would capable of hurting her, but even her I hurt' his tone was disgusted, as though revolted by his acts.

'How did you end up hurting her, Niklaus?' Elijah asked. If he did not know the whole story then he couldn't help him.

Klaus licked his upper lip, staring down at the floor, slamming his glass against the table before taking a seat across Elijah.

'It was the plan all along' he started calmly 'When Bonnie put me back in my own body I was out of my mind furious with the little stunt that gang had pulled. This was the closest I ever came to dying and my anger took over my mind. So I decided to strike back. It had to be stronger, crueler, devastating. I wanted to teach them a lesson they would never forget.' Then his tone turned shameful 'And Caroline was nothing but a pawn. I wanted to show them that I had control over everything, even their hearts. So I decided to make her fall head-over-heals in love with me. I was going to have her then leave her to die with misery just to show them what kind of a person they were dealing with, and how foolish they are for being my enemies rather than my allies.' Klaus skipped the part where Caroline was chosen to be the pawn in his game because she had rejected him too many times. A part of him just wanted to show her that fighting him was of no use; that he always got what he wanted 'That was the initial plan' he continued after a short pause 'Somewhere along the way that changed. Caroline changed that. I found myself opening up to her, increasingly becoming addicted to her presence, she made me laugh more than I have in my entire existence and she made me feel even when I did not want to. I refused to believe it at first, going out of my way to stop it and shut it off, but it was impossible. I craved her. I craved her light. I craved her smile. I couldn't stop myself.'

He remembered that night when his plan was over, when he decided that it no longer existed and that Caroline would be his only plan for years and years to come. When he played the violin for her, when he felt his need for her presence dominating him, he had went out of his way driving her away, giving up on his plan just so he could keep the walls around himself, but it wasn't long before he cracked under pressure. They had confessed their love for each other the night that followed and all else was forgotten to him when he had her in his arms, writhing beneath him and calling out his name. He had not realized how drastically different it was to have sex with a woman he did not care about and to make love to the woman he loved until that night. He had never thought that the mere sight of her face twisting with pleasure would be almost enough to drive him over the edge. The way she took him in, the way she passionately kissed him back, running her hands through his hair and tracing the muscles of his back with her delicate fingers, made him feel like all the suffering that he had been through was worth the result, for it led him there, to her arms, lips, smile; it led him to her.

'So I gave up on my plans for her. I simply couldn't bear the thought of leaving her, Elijah. I knew that she loved me and I loved her and that was the only thing that mattered' he sighed, tears brimming in his eyes as the flood of memories continued to overwhelm him.

Elijah kept silent, waiting for him to resume his confession, except that Klaus's words halted.

Elijah tilted his head at him questioningly, trying to look at his expression which Klaus hid by looking down at the floor 'Then what happened, brother? You were perfectly happy when I saw you not over five days ago'

'I don't know what happened' Klaus snapped. Sharing the details of what happened between him and his beloved Caroline that night was not something he was particularly interested in. Even more, he did not want to listen to the long analyzing Elijah would have to say about the situation.

What he did not see coming, though, was Elijah correctly concluding what's happened 'She talked to you about your feeding method, didn't she?' Elijah calmly, and surely, stated.

Klaus shot him a wary glare.

'I saw her that night before leaving' Elijah cleared his throat 'and when I inquired about your whereabouts, she was clearly irritated with the fact that you were out hunting'

'What did she tell you?' Klaus huskily asked his breath caught in his throat.

'She said that she loved you despite her better judgment' Elijah said a tad more sharply than intended as he looked at Klaus dead in the eye 'That she loved you deeply and more than anyone else'

No longer enduring the disappointment in Elijah's face, Klaus dropped his gaze back to the ground. He did not need Elijah to feel guilty, to feel even more remorseful.

'I'm assuming that your discussion was not pleasant ' Elijah continued 'She must have said something that you did not like, so you decided to go back to your original plan' he paused while Klaus stayed silent 'Please, do correct me if I'm wrong' Elijah gestured for him to participate in the conversation.

'What do you want, Elijah?' Klaus snapped 'Why are you here? Are you here to mock me and my foolishness? Or to tell me something I already know, and clearly, _you _already know?' he shot up to his feet pacing the living room back and forth 'I don't need this, Elijah. Please stop tormenting me and leave'

'I shall not leave, Niklaus. I am here to help you' Elijah resumed his composed act despite his rising frustration.

'I don't need your help' Klaus said through gritted teeth.

'Clearly you do, Niklaus' Elijah disagreed, resting back in his seat and looking at Klaus's infuriated movements 'There is no shame in seeking help from your brother'

'Help with what, Elijah?!' Klaus thundered, stopping dead in his tracks and angrily glaring at his brother 'You cannot fix the mess I made! No one can! I've lost her, Elijah, and there is no going back' He continued to yell.

Elijah shut his eyes closed.

'And this is my doing, brother' Klaus's voice dropped into pained whispers 'This is my doing, and I am the one who will live every day for the rest of my life with the knowledge that I've hurt her beyond repair. I am the one who will always wake up in an empty bed and reminisce about having her next to me for as long as my life continues. There is no going back. And talking about it will not fix it, so you might as well stop torturing me, brother.'

Elijah held back the tears in his eyes. Watching Klaus in pain had always brought ache to his own heart.

'You were afraid that she would leave you, weren't you?' Elijah declared after a short moment of silence.

Klaus's fists clenched, his nails digging deep into his flush 'Don't do this, Elijah' he spat out.

'You realized you had no control over how you feel for her, or over the fact that she may leave you, so you took the first step and hurt her as though that would hurt you any less' Elijah continued, ignoring his brother's obviously distraught state 'You did not realize how much it would hurt you until the damage was done..'

'It killed me!' Klaus suddenly roared, cutting Elijah off 'It killed me that I couldn't just dagger her and keep her with me like I did with all of you. It killed me that I couldn't ensure her staying with me. It burned through me every single time I saw a hesitant look in her eyes or felt her nervousness concerning our future.' Klaus finally surrendered, letting the heavy weight lift off of his chest. Finally, he admitted what he truly felt, no longer caring how vulnerable or insecure he sounded.

Elijah flinched. He did not think that Klaus would be downright straight about his feelings. Slowly, he rose to his feet and walked towards his brother's trembling figure.

'But, Niklaus, when you force people to stay with you, you only end up pushing them farther away' Elijah cautiously commented 'If they don't choose to stay with you then it's not real .'

'Don't you think I know that? ' Klaus spat

'Then why do you do it, brother?' Elijah inquired, wide-eyed.

'Because …' Klaus started hesitantly 'it's better than staying alone ' he desperately said, lowering his gaze to the floor, his body losing its tense position.

'But you only end up lonelier' Elijah calmly explained 'they will resent you eventually. No one likes to be held captive'

Klaus blinked, taken aback 'I don't know any other way, Elijah' Klaus muttered, almost embarrassed with his confession, averting his eyes to look everywhere but at his older brother.

Elijah sighed stepping closer to Klaus 'the other way is easier, Niklaus. Let them choose to stay. Make them want to stay. Show them that you're worth their trouble, that you deserve their love. Show them your true colors' Elijah cautiously advised his brother, as the latter stared at him blankly, not quite knowing how to respond.

'I can't, Elijah' Klaus admitted almost embarrassed 'I can't be that vulnerable. I can't allow people to reject me' he said, pained by the mere confession.

Elijah shook his head sadly 'I wish you have told _her _that instead of telling me'

Klaus chuckled humorlessly, mocking himself as his gaze met Elijah's again 'I couldn't hand my heart over for her to crush'

'And how did you know that she wouldn't have tended to it, brother?' Elijah licked his lip.

'Because no one ever tended to my heart before' Klaus simply said

With that simple sentence, Klaus summed up the entire existence of his and the troubles that had befallen on him during it. In that one simple sentence lay Klaus's ultimate pain. There lay his misery.

He could not find a way around it. He could not find a way to overcome it.

* * *

**Thoughts? What did you guys think of the little bit we saw of Caroline without her humanity? We'll see more of that next chapter! PLENTY more :D **

**And I just wanted to make a few things clear: **

**1- I focused on Stefan's process of thoughts because he was the one involved in her relationship with Klaus so he'd be the one most shocked and stuff if it makes sense. **

**2- The conversation between Elijah and Klaus is very long because it explains a lot of things about the plot. However, I know a lot of you are asking about the dreams thingy and I just wanted to say that this will be thoroughly explained next chapter and the owner of the familiar voice will be revealed (dun dun dun dun!) **

**3- Please don't tell me that Elijah couldn't have made it in time from New York to collect Klaus from his begging state, can you overlook this? I've wanted to put that scene since I started this fic! PLEASE don't give me a hard time? Roll with it maybe?**

**Until next time :D **


	30. Sweet Caroline

**Hello everyone!O.M.G! You guys! I can't even tell you how much I LOVE you for all the support you have been giving me! I LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU. I never thought that I would get so much readers and as wonderful as you guys are. So thank you thank you THANK YOU. **

**Sorry for the extreme delay, but I hope you understand that by the length of this chapter, you would know that I couldn't get it done any sooner. It is BY FAR the longest chapter in this story. I actually thought of braking it into two, but it just fits together better. On another notice, you guys HAVE JUST HAVE TO listen to "Life Boat" by Early Morning Rebel. It just fits it SO MUCH. So yeah.. I hope you cry reading this *sorry not sorry :P***

**OH I ALMOST FORGOT! Beautiful cover by leetje on tumblr :) **

**HAPPY READING!**

* * *

**30: Sweet Caroline**

To say that Elena and Stefan were flabbergasted to see Elijah at their doorstep would have been an understatement. Elijah's arrivals never came bearing good news. Almost always a disaster followed his reappearance, and they were increasingly anxious about that when they silently sat at the kitchen table along with Bonnie and Jeremy who stared at Elijah as though he was about to murder them all.

'So, Elijah, you want to tell us why you are here?' Elena asked him casually, her voice slightly agitated.

'Pardon me for the long silence, lovely Elena' he gently began with a small smile. Even if she was turned to a vampire, Elijah had a soft spot for the doppelganger that made Damon roll his eyes more often than not 'but I cannot seem to find the words to express my deepest apologies'

Everyone was taken aback by his statement. It was surely not what they anticipated and they had no idea how to deal with the new found information.

Their confusion was not lost on Elijah, he continued with his composed manners 'Niklaus's behavior had been outrageous. It is true that it was more or less justified, considering you almost ended his existence, but his method was extreme. And for that I am sorry' Elijah slowly explained, picking his words carefully like the way he always did.

'And your apology is supposed to fix everything?' Stefan drily said.

'Perhaps not' Elijah replied, staring down at the table briefly before looking up at the still slightly shocked group 'but we would like to end these days of war between the two of us. I believe it is best for everyone to just live in peace'

'Peace' Elena almost scoffed 'You have literally tarnished every chance we had to live peacefully together' her mind ran through all the horrible things they have encountered since the originals' arrival to town.

'But, Elena, you have my word that this time will be different' Elijah leaned on the table, making eye contact with Elena who always found it hard not to believe him even when she knew better.

'Funny' Bonnie interjected 'You always say that'

'This time we are leaving town' Elijah quickly explained 'we will not set foot in it until many years to come, when you no longer live here. We will not harm any of you nor endanger your lives. We'll even make sure that we won't cross paths as long as you give us the white oak stake.'

'And why in hell's name would we do that? It's our only advantage over you' Stefan pointed out.

'Indeed. Except you will need no advantage for we will not seek any kind of revenge or harm upon you' Elijah quietly emphasized 'we will go on living our lives peacefully'

'What's to guarantee that you won't come after us again?' Stefan asked, tilting his head to the side.

'Pardon me for this, Stefan, but the lot of you is no longer of any value to any of us. With Elena turned into a vampire and the Petrova bloodline broken, we have nothing to seek from you. Besides, Niklaus wants to be as far away from here as he possibly could' Elijah muttered his last statement, taking sudden interest in the wooden table.

Stefan and Elena sighed in harmony, looking over at Bonnie and Jeremy who looked doubtful still.

'If you are still hesitant, we will offer you something in exchange of the white oak stake to ensure your protection.' Elijah broke the short silence 'We shall give you a sum of Niklaus's blood to ensure that hybrid or werewolves bites are no longer fatal to any of you. He's willing to let you have constant access to his blood should you need it.'

'He's only doing this to ensure Caroline's safety' Stefan said it was not sarcastic or mocking, a little sad and bitter instead.

'Does it really matter why he is doing it?' Elena asked, looking at Stefan with hints of approval in her eyes 'we'll be safe anyway'

'I guess you're right' Stefan muttered, nodding. They looked over at Bonnie and Jeremy.

'I'm sick of all the wars anyway' Bonnie said 'And he's right, we have nothing to fight over anymore. He's making a good deal'

'Yeah' Elena sighed 'I think we can all agree that we are sick of the fighting'

A short moment of thoughtful silence passed before Stefan turned to Elijah, talking with a serious tone 'OK. But I have to see Klaus for myself'

'As you wish' Elijah nodded 'May I ask to see Caroline, though?' he hesitantly requested.

'I'm afraid we can't do that' Stefan said through gritted teeth, despite his knowledge that Elijah had no fault in Klaus's wrong doing 'She is not available'

_Too busy turning off her humanity and flirting with my brother._ He inwardly snarled.

'I see' Elijah slowly commented, doubt clouding his mind already at the obvious anger showing in Stefan's voice. He shrugged the idea off, though, more important matter needed to be tended to first 'Shall we be reunited in the mansion, Stefan?' Elijah asked after a short moment of silence.

'Yep' Stefan said, shooting up to his feet and grabbing his phone.

He dialed Damon's number to give him the latest updates. The older brother was rather disturbed by the news. As usual, he was suspicious and doubtful about the Originals' ability to deliver. However, everyone was so tired of fighting and just wanted to go on with their lives. Another thing that irritated Damon immensely was the way the blonde vampire was acting, something that he failed to tell Stefan, but Stefan figured out all the same.

The latter had a plan. Caroline will get her humanity back. Klaus needed to do at least one good thing in his life and fix what he had broken.

* * *

'I do not wish to have a chat with Stefan Salvatore, Elijah' Klaus drily declared as he rolled down his sleeves. He was not so keen on seeing anyone at the moment, especially from those who they had just struck a deal with.

'It is not about what you wish, brother' Elijah calmly answered 'I believe you owe him as much as a little chat that he clearly wishes to have with you privately'

'I do not owe him anything' Klaus muttered, sighing.

'Actually, you do. He agreed for peace while you have done a series of horrible things to him and the people he cared most about' Elijah's word were slightly sharper than intended 'Besides, this is his condition to strike this deal, so you will comply, brother'

'Fine' Klaus snapped 'But no more small meetings. I want to leave this pathetic town as soon as possible.'

Elijah nodded solemnly.

A few minutes later they heard footsteps outside the mansion that were, expectedly, followed by a knock. The brothers raced down the staircase and Elijah opened the door for a very much broody Stefan.

'Stefan' Elijah politely greeted with a nod.

'Elijah' Stefan copied his movement, stepping into the mansion.

He shot Klaus a fake smile that he did not even put the effort into hiding the sarcasm behind it. For some reason, Klaus felt a bang of guilt and his glare didn't come off as penetrating as he would have liked it to be. That, probably, had everything to do with the fact that he knew Stefan's spite was because of his doing to Caroline more than anything else.

The three men then headed into the living room where Elijah offered Stefan a drink, being an impossibly well-mannered host despite the conditions in which the guest was brought in.

Stefan, however, had no intentions of being a good-natured guest 'Why don't we skip the formalities and get this thing over with?' he started drily, dropping to the couch like he owned the place 'You have what I need?' he addressed Klaus.

'Do _you _have what _I _need?' Klaus deflected.

'Yes' Stefan simply said 'But I'm not giving you anything until you make good on your promise. I think you'd understand why I would _never _trust you' Stefan tilted his head, raising his eyebrows. Klaus may not know it, but Stefan was like Caroline's big brother. He was as protective of her as Klaus was protective of Rebekah.

Klaus clenched his jaw in response as Elijah pressed his lips. He did not particularly like the direction of the conversation, and he feared that things would get out of hand and lead to threats all over again.

'We do have what you want, Stefan' Elijah quietly said, swerving the attention form Klaus's enraged features.

He knelt down and opened a small closet near the fireplace, extracting a box that was filled with small glass bottles of Klaus's blood. Stefan took one of those, and popping it opened, he immediately recognized that it was not human blood after sniffing it.

'Fair enough' Stefan said, nodding.

'Now it's your part to deliver' Klaus spat through gritted teeth.

'OK' Stefan shrugged 'But first, I wanna have a word with you privately'

'I am not interested in what you have to say' was Klaus's instant reply.

'Oh, but you will listen to me' Stefan leaned forward in his seat, resting his elbows on his thighs 'because this matter concerns you the most right now'

'Do not test my patience, Salvatore' Klaus smirked deviously

'Don't give empty threats you will not fulfill, Mikealson' Stefan retorted.

Klaus flashed towards him to be stopped by Elijah. He almost tore the latter's heart out for body blocking him from further advancing.

'Move Elijah' he roared under his breath, eyes flaring with anger.

'Don't break the deal, brother' Elijah tried to soothe Klaus with his composure.

'He hadn't delivered his part, yet' Klaus spat with a hint of smirk on his lips 'Nothing is sealed, and I can kill him. He's practically begging for it.'

'But if you kill him, Niklaus' Elijah whispered 'Every chance you have of getting her back will be over. She will never forgive you.'

Klaus shut his eyes. Why did he have to bring _her _up? Couldn't he have a moment when he is not thinking about her or talking about her? Well, he could definitely hope for such a moment, dream about it even, but that would be as far as he could possibly go.

Stefan smirked sarcastically from behind Elijah as Klaus's body gradually relaxed from its fighting position.

'Alright, Stefan' Klaus reluctantly gave in, keeping his anger at a leash.

Elijah took that as his queue to leave and flashed out of the room. They both knew he would be probably listening to them, but that was irrelevant.

Klaus sat across from Stefan, Lifting his legs to rest them on the table between them in a cocky manner that was his trade mark.

'So, Stefan, care to tell me why the insistence on having this little chat with me?' Klaus asked with a hint of mockery in his voice.

'Caroline turned her humanity off' Stefan, without any kind of preparation or sugarcoating, delivered the bitter truth.

Klaus's face immediately dropped. He was not supposed to be surprised; after all, he knew very well that Caroline was contemplating the idea from their earlier bitter confrontation under the rain. Nonetheless, the idea of his Sweet Caroline without the halo of light and warmth around her, was like a slap across the face. Stefan was not lying, and that was more than clear in his dead serious bitter eyes. The inevitable had happened despite Klaus's hope that it wouldn't.

He could not do anything but stare at Stefan, swallowing loudly a lump in his throat.

'She turned it off' Stefan repeated, slightly with less poison in his words, taking into consideration Klaus's desperately shocked face.

'And I'm supposed to care' Klaus tried to shrug off the subject, hoping that his blank face and the small enforced smirk would somehow convince Stefan that he did not care at all.

'No, Klaus, you are _not _supposed to care, but you do care, that's your problem' Stefan sighed, letting his sharp attitude slightly slide into a more pitiful one, for another wave of sympathy towards Klaus shot through him.

'What do you mean?' Klaus said through gritted teeth and infuriated tone.

'I mean, Klaus, that given who you are and what your plan is or was, you are not supposed to care and I am not supposed to believe you if you pretend you do.' Stefan explained calmly 'still, _you _care so much, and _I _somehow believe you'

'You're wrongful in your belief' Klaus denied again, with a wider smirk that was fake all the same.

'Ahh' Stefan chuckled 'Let's just drop the act, and skip the part where I have to yell at you until you admit how much you love her. Only a desperate man would sit under the rain for an entire hour just hoping to get a glimpse of his love'

'You really should learn better to pick your words, Salvatore' Klaus said coldly.

'Alright' Stefan said, resting back in his seat 'we'll pretend like I didn't see you under the rain. But you still need to help Caroline'

'I neither can, nor want to help Caroline' Klaus simply said, hiding his pain behind his always so concealing mask, but being betrayed by his tear-forming eyes 'You see, Stefan, I have more chance with her like this than with her humanity on'

'But you don't want her like that' Stefan confidently said 'she is not herself. She is not the woman you fell in love with, Klaus'

Klaus's posture changed as he leaned in his seat and dropped his legs from the table, seeming to recoil to himself, trying to gain any kind of control over his gradually collapsing self.

'Come on, Klaus' Stefan said after a short moment of silence 'You know I'm right'

'What do you want, Stefan?' Klaus asked him suddenly, letting a slight tremble invade his voice as he dropped his gaze to his clasped hands 'You came here to taunt me?'

'No' Stefan answered 'As tempting as that is, I am not here to taunt you. Caroline needs your help'

'I can't help her' Klaus impatiently spat, his hands clenching together in an agitated movement 'I'm the reason she's become like this'

'That's why you're the only one who can help her' Stefan murmured and Klaus's head snapped to Stefan's sad face. The latter sighed before continuing with a melancholic voice 'You have to let her know how much you love her and want her so she can remember how much she loved you'

'But that would only hurt her' Klaus whispered, keeping a straight face but not without tremendous efforts.

'Yes. But she will heal. It's better than taking this route and turning into a monster she would despise' Stefan explained, gulping down.

'We have no idea if that would work' Klaus said after a long moment of silence.

'But it's definitely worth a try' Stefan pointed.

Klaus said nothing further, and Stefan, seeing that his job was done there, got up from his seat and extracted the white oak stake from his jacket pocket. He put it on the table in front of Klaus before proceeding to the door.

'Where is she?' Klaus asked, stopping Stefan in his tracks.

'She's at The Grill' Stefan's answer was followed by a short moment of silence 'If you truly love her, Klaus, you'd do that for her' was all that Stefan added quietly before heading out of the mansion and leaving Klaus with an undying white oak stake and a heartbreakingly unsolvable dilemma.

* * *

'I want him' Caroline told Damon with that annoying chirpy voice that indicated slight sarcasm without the usual joy. Why was it that even Damon was bothered by the blonde's transformation? He didn't know. But there was something about watching her turn into Katherine that seemed very heartbreaking. As though all people were bound to be broken by love and that was one thing he could easily relate to.

'That's Matt Donavan' Damon made a face 'He's your friend. Not your meal' he scolded.

'What's the use of human friends if you can't eat them?' she rolled her eyes 'I bet he would be absolutely delicious' she winked

'No he won't. Because he'll taste like your friend' Damon explained with a sigh 'You'll feel terrible after eating him, Blondie' the sarcasm was evident in his voice as he shook his head.

'I won't feel terrible. Whiny me would feel terrible' she smirked and ushered for the bartender for another drink.

'No more drinks for you' Damon stopped him 'Go now' he compelled the guy with a smirk.

'Why?' Caroline pouted 'You know you're not the boss of me!' she crossed her arms on her chest.

'Yes I am' Damon ordered in an inarguable tone 'I'm not planning to carry you back home drunk and having to explain it to your mother. I have enough explanation up my sleeve already'

'You know you can be the boss of me' she whispered seductively, playing with his shirt as she leaned in closer to him 'You can take me home and tie me up to the bed'

'That's it' he said shoving her hand away from him and stepping down from his stool 'we're going home'

Her smirk widened for a second.

'NO' Damon stopped her train of thoughts '_You _are going to yours. And _I'm_ going to mine'

'Come on, Damon' she suggestively started as he began to walk towards the door, grabbing her by the elbow 'You can't tell me that you don't want to have some of this'

'Thanks for the offer, Barbie but…' he was stopped by the two Originals standing by the door. They seemed to be standing there for a while when Damon saw them. Elijah's lips were pressed in a distressed manner, while Klaus looked purely and utterly shocked, not to mention pained beyond belief.

'Oh there goes my hot ex' Caroline laughed with that hollow laughter that did not belong to her 'You think it's OK to have break-up sex? He's too hot' she addressed Damon whose eyes were still glued to Klaus's face. The latter, however, was only looking at Caroline.

'Who knew remorse was a thing you could feel, Klaus?' Damon mocked.

'Damon,' Elijah's voice was warning. Weirdly enough it wasn't even Klaus who shot an angry glare.

'Nice suit' Damon sarcastically whispered, smirking 'Let's go, Blondie' he dragged Caroline past the two brothers, leaving the Grill but not before whispering tauntingly to Klaus 'No break-up sex for you'

Klaus wasn't sure for how long he had stood there, frozen, motionless and looking into empty space. He shouldn't have expected it to be any different from that, but seeing it happen was shocking beyond words. Her baby blue eyes were not glittering with that ever-present spark in them. Her laughter was not ringing as the joyful infectious sound. It was hollow and empty instead that it made his stomach turn. There was no light surrounding her. The halo of warmth and tenderness around her beautiful figure was gone, extinguished, vanished.

He gulped down, and knowing that it was his doing suddenly felt unbearable.

'Niklaus' Elijah gently started, causing Klaus to snap out of his frenzy.

'I need a drink' he said, storming out of the Grill.

_A real drink, I believe_ Elijah thought as he followed his brother with a heavy feeling of desperation hovering above them.

* * *

'What are you going to do, brother?' Elijah asked Klaus quietly as the latter took his time to wash the blood away from his hands after the little hunting trip he had.

'I don't know' Klaus impatiently answered.

'You can't just leave her like this, Nik' Rebekah showed up from behind Elijah.

'I can't do anything, either' Klaus answered, stepping out of the bathroom and into his art studio where his two siblings followed him.

'Yes you can, Nik' Rebekah gently told him, stepping closer to his tense figure 'You're the only one who can'

'Just because Stefan said that doesn't make it right, Bekah' he spat.

'That's exactly what makes it true, though' she quietly answered. Elijah pressed his lips into a tight line as Klaus scoffed.

'But it's true; Nik' Rebekah insisted 'Stefan wouldn't say that if he could have done anything about it. He would not have admitted it unless you were her only chance'

'She's right, Niklaus' Elijah pointed out quietly 'Don't you think she at least deserves a little bit of effort from you'

Klaus shot him an angry glare, clenching his jaw.

'If you don't at least try to help her, you'll regret it forever' Rebekah pressed, her eyes forming tears. It seemed that heartache was all she could feel at the sight of her brother's pain. Of all what they have been through in their thousand years together, Klaus had never looked as anguished as he did that moment.

Klaus did want to help her, he would give anything just to see the genuine smile back on her face, just to see the spark back to her eyes, he just

didn't know if he could be the one to fix what he, himself, had broken. His greatest fear was that his attempt to interfere and drag her out of the mess would only make her angrier and lead her further away from her humanity. He could imagine that the sight of him only brought pain, so much pain that would make her rather feel blankness than it. And for that, he neither had the strength nor the bravery to do such a thing. Another selfish part of him did not want to have to watch her blank and hollow again, he wanted her picture as the most beautiful creature in the world to stay printed in his mind.

'You have to try, Nik' Rebekah said again when he kept silent for far too long.

'Alright' Klaus finally huffed 'you two need to leave me alone' he spat.

'Nik..' Rebekah started as a tear trickled down her face.

'Rebekah, please don't make me lose my patience and leave me alone' he said quickly through clenched jaw. She started to say something again but he stopped her with a menacing '_now' _

'We should respect his wish, Rebekah' Elijah said gently, shooting his brother with a sympathetic glance which he returned with an appreciative one.

'OK' Rebekah reluctantly agreed, turning around to leave with Elijah. She stopped by the door and turned around 'It just breaks my heart to see like this, Nik. I want to help you' she calmly said and strode out of the room followed by Elijah whose eyes were forming tears.

Klaus was left alone. He didn't need anyone's help; he'd done everything on his own since as long as he could remember.

With a sudden movement that even surprised him he threw a wooden table across the room. It hit a small closet at the end of the room and caused for the latter's doors to blow open and papers to scatter. He let out a frustrated growl that was soon followed by a stream of tears he didn't quite know how to stop. What else did he have to do to stop his pain? He had tried to drown it in liquor; he had tried to drown it in blood, why wouldn't it go away? What did he have to do? Was his pain the eternal curse he had to deal with? Pain was his _real _curse.

A paper between the ones that scattered caught his attention. He knelt down to hold the old piece of parchment carefully in his hand. Even that very special drawing of a ten-years-old now reminded him of her.

He sighed through his tears. _Where are you my Sweet Caroline?_

* * *

After much effort from both the Salvatores and Caroline's mother, Caroline stopped drinking and passed out on the couch before Stefan carried her to her bed.

'You wanna stay here?' Liz asked slowly, failing to hide her fright over the thought.

'Yes' Stefan calmly answered 'We don't trust that you'd be safe alone with her'

'Yeah' Damon interjected 'She might eat you just for the heck of it'

Liz rolled her eyes 'I won't be staying home. I have a shift tonight'

'Well,' Stefan started hesitantly 'we can't leave her alone either. If she wakes up and feels like having a … drink, she'll go to kill someone, and we don't want her to go down that road'

'Why can't Elena stay?' Liz was understandably anxious.

'Elena doesn't really know how to handle this, yet.' Stefan slowly explained

'And I really don't wanna stay' Damon sardonically smiled and Liz shot him an angry glance.

'Alright' she sighed 'Just make sure she is OK'

Stefan nodded.

* * *

_Endless blue skies are all that Caroline can see. The crystal clarity of the blue colored sky reminds her a bit too much of certain blue eyes when they shimmered with delight. _

_But she doesn't want to think about it. _

_However, the attempt fails when the exact pair of blue eyes meets hers. They don't look happy, though, rather sad … almost anguished and the sight hurts her even though it shouldn't. She shouldn't be feeling anything altogether. She can't help but notice how he is wearing a suit as white as the clouds around them, and her stomach turns to knots. The sight is not comforting even though it should be. _

_'It was me, Caroline' his velvet voice gently tells her 'It was me all along, love. I cared even when I thought I didn't' he says as a tear trickles down his face 'I'm so sorry'_

* * *

Caroline's eyes shot opened, her breath hitched in her throat. She sat up, the bed suddenly feeling uncomfortable as her thoughts began racing. What was that dream about? Could it be him giving it to her again? But why would he be cryptic about it if that was the case? What did he mean that it was him all along? She felt that the answer was right under her nose but somehow, it was blocked from her vision, as though she was being stripped away from it by her own head. Thoughts swirled around in her head until she shook them off with a shrug.

She rested back in her bed and fell into a deep slumber again, because she truly and utterly did not care.

* * *

Listening to Caroline's incisive attempts to get him to bed, made Stefan feel like taking off his day light ring and kill himself. At first it caused him great sadness and pain, but after a while it just seemed purely and completely annoying, not to mention how revolted he was by this behavior. He had to keep reminding himself that this was wasn't really Caroline and that he should be angry at Klaus instead of irritated with Caroline's seduction just to stop himself from throwing her across the room when she started caressing his thigh, or spoke against his lips, or sat on his lap with her low cut shirt that showed her breasts a bit too much for comfort.

'I'm not gonna sleep with you, Caroline' Stefan huffed, as she locked her arms around his neck and sat comfortably on his lap. He kept his arms draped over the back of the couch as to not lead her.

'And why is that?' she whispered 'is it because of your love for Elena?' she ran her hands on his cheek and down to his hard chest.

'it's because I don't feel this way about you, Care' he impatiently said, removing her hand from his chest 'Don't you get it, you're like my sister'

'Whatever works for you' she whispered seductively again.

'Alright that's it' Stefan exasperated, placing his hands on her waist and removing her from the straddling position she was holding as he got up from the couch.

'You're such a fun killer' she rolled her eyes.

'Yeah, well, you suck without your feelings' he spat.

'Ouch' she mocked.

Stefan shut his eyes with frustration when the door knocked, saving him from any further bantering with Caroline.

'I'll get it' he muttered, relieved for leaving the room.

He was half way through opening it when he saw Klaus standing on the other side through the glass in the door. Stefan did not know if he should be happy for Klaus's appearance or sheer apprehensive.

'What are you doing here, Klaus?' he asked as soon as he opened the door.

Klaus cleared his throat 'I'm here to talk to Caroline'

'About what?' Stefan interrogated, leaning against the door frame.

'You know about what, Stefan' Klaus snapped. He had no intention of having Stefan investigate with him. This was between him and Caroline and the situation was distorting enough to have any interference to add up to the complication.

'I see' Stefan nodded, stepping away for Klaus to enter.

'Oh we have guests' Caroline commented upon seeing Klaus.

Klaus's eyes widened when he saw her in skin tight mini skirt and low cut shirt. The outfit left almost nothing for imagination and her attitude only indicated that she intended it to be this way.

'Why is she dressed like this while _you _are with her?' Klaus inquired, sharply turning to Stefan.

'That's what she has been wearing with anyone' Stefan commented, hardly suppressing his mockery as Klaus continued to feel possessive of her and kill any guy that would dare to even think about touching her.

'I have been trying to get him in bed but he went all broody on me' Caroline scoffed, rolling her eyes.

Klaus clenched his jaw in response.

'You said you need to talk to her' Stefan cut off the jealousy spree.

'Yes, and I'd appreciate you leaving us alone' Klaus drily said.

Stefan raised his eyebrows 'You think I'd leave the two of you alone?'

'Why wouldn't you, Stefan. I think we need a heart to heart talk' Klaus's impatience began to show in his voice.

'Yeah, Stefan, we need to "talk"' Caroline suggestively winked at him.

'Fine' true, Stefan was still rather uncomfortable with the idea of leaving Caroline alone with Klaus, but he had to admit that meddling in their situation was not the best idea. He also knew that Klaus would not be able to open up fully to Caroline with his presence and that was something that Caroline needed 'She's gonna try to seduce you, but I suggest that you don't give in to her request. It wouldn't look good for you later' Stefan whispered to Klaus before heading out of the house.

* * *

He did not know what exactly he had to do. He didn't give himself the chance to overthink what he would say or do as not to change his mind and leave the town like the coward he was.

So they sat in the living room with silence filling the room. Caroline was, weirdly enough, not in the mood for talking. It was like seeing Klaus somehow silenced her as a tingling sensation spread across her with the memory of their nights together. For some reason, she couldn't quite contemplate his handsomeness and the spark of his blue eyes without feeling anything. And she found a heartwarming sensation mixed with pain invading the comfortable emptiness she had bubbled into.

'This is so boring' she huffed, shaking her head as though to stop the train of her thoughts.

Klaus cleared his throat, unable to relax from the stiff position his body had taken. He could neither look at Caroline nor talk to her. The memory of their last encounter filling his mind suddenly, her tears, her words were haunting him, just like they had done the night before as he paced back and forth across the room like the crazed man he had turned into. His eyes roamed the room without settling on her anticipating face. Little comfort did he find in the fact that she could feel absolutely nothing with his presence. Even though that should somehow help him begin his talk far easier. He couldn't hurt her, right? Why did his jaw clench then, and the words got caught in his throat instead of flowing like the way he had hoped it would turn out? Was his remorse that great? Or was his pain so overwhelming that it clouded his eyes? He couldn't tell, and it didn't really matter.

In fact nothing of that should matter. It shouldn't matter that Caroline had turned off her humanity. It shouldn't matter that he used her like a pawn in his sick games. It shouldn't matter that he broke her heart. It shouldn't matter that her lips would never meet his again. It should not have mattered since the very beginning, but it did and the absurdity of it was beyond belief that he could barely contain himself from laughing spitefully at how pathetic he was.

'OK' she finally shrugged 'we can skip the talking part and just head to the bedroom'

'You hate me' the words escaped his mouth before he could stop them.

'No, I'm indifferent with you.' she rolled her eyes 'Whinny, pathetic me hates you. I just wanna jump you cause you're hot'

He clenched his jaw 'Sweet Caroline' was all he could whisper. How could she refer to herself as whinny and pathetic? She was his Sweet Caroline. She was the only one who managed to stir his heart in a thousand years.

'Yeah, I guess you can refer to her as that. Sweet Caroline that you thankfully forever destroyed' he could swear that there was a hint of bitterness in her voice which caused his eyes to meet hers. He winced at his assumption for the emptiness had prevailed over them to the point that it hurt to look into them.

'I really did destroy you, didn't I?' He huskily murmured, tears forming in his eyes.

'You freed me from my feelings and the cage they were forming around me, Klaus' she impatiently said 'Please don't go all sad on me now'

'You know I love you, Caroline' he suddenly said after a short moment of silence. His eyes locked with hers and he could see a spark of sadness in them that was soon gone.

'Knowing is one thing, and caring is a whole other thing' she mocked, rising from her seat to sit next to him.

He shouldn't have been enjoying the proximity, but good heavens she still felt so warm against him. All he truly wanted was to take her in his arms and keep her there for as long as he possibly could.

'Besides' she added 'you made sure that I neither care nor believe that'

'You can pretend like you don't care, Caroline, but you have to believe how much I love you' he softly told her, turning to face her fully.

'Right' she scoffed 'Look, none of this matter. I really don't care'

'But have to listen, Caroline' Klaus insisted 'I can't let you believe that you're worthless. I can't leave town without knowing that you'll be happy again'

'Why do you care?' she rolled her eyes.

'Because I'm in love with you, Sweet Caroline' he took her hand in his and pressed it to his chest 'you make my dead heart beat again' he caressed her cheek with his fingers and she couldn't help but lean into his touch 'You're the most beautiful creature I have ever seen. Your smile is the most breathtaking thing I have ever witnessed. You have made me happier than I have ever been my entire life, Caroline. I love you'

'But…' she gasped, her words hitching in her throat before coming out broken 'But you said that….'

'I lied' he interrupted her, holding her hand in both of his. She wished he would stop touching her already; it was lowering her defenses and spreading a warm sensation through her.

'It doesn't make any sense' was all she could whisper, as she avoided his eyes. She didn't trust herself if she looked into them.

Wasn't it supposed to be easier to feel absolutely nothing? Why did it just _feel _the absolute opposite?

'Not all of it was a lie' he admitted.

She withdrew her hand from his grasp to go back to her former position across from him.

'You either explain yourself right now or I'm kicking you out' she tried to come out as indifferent and sarcastic, but she failed to some extent.

He sighed, missing having her close to him at once 'It started off as a game to me' he began slowly 'It was a part of the plan, using you to show everyone what a huge mistake they were making by trying to rid the world of me'

'What a surprise. Everyone uses me in their plans and I always end up being collateral damage somehow' she shrugged carelessly.

'But then I couldn't quite move on with my plan' he added gently 'Your light, the halo of warmth around you, the spark in your eyes…' his lips formed a smile as he remembered every inch of her face when her radiant smile was plastered across it. He let his eyes drop to the floor instead of looking at her, painting the picture of her he loved so much to the point of ache 'I couldn't stop myself from falling in love with you, Caroline' he added in soft whispers.

'But you still decided to hurt me' her words held more poison than she had intended.

'I never wanted to' he said, his eyes finding hers again 'After realizing how much I loved you I never wanted to hurt you again' he paused to add more composedly 'Remember the night I played the violin for you?' she nodded. You see, that was her problem, she didn't want to remember, she didn't want to be flooded with all those memories of his face as he played the violin or the feeling of being in his arms afterwards 'That night marked the end of my plan'

Caroline gulped down. He was getting to her. He needed to leave. She needed to leave, but her body seemed suddenly frozen, held still by the gravity of his blue eyes and leaving her helpless in the presence of their power.

'That night' he continued in the same gentle manner 'when I held you in my arms, when I kissed you, I felt like my whole world was summed up in that moment, that all the things I've been through, all the suffering and pain that I was put through in my thousand years was worth it, you know why, Caroline?' she shook her head silently, not trusting her voice to be steady if she talked 'Because it led me to _you_, the woman I have never and will never love anyone as much as I love her. You, Caroline'

'So you're saying that everything from that night on was real?' she asked pleasantly surprised by the steadiness of her voice. She was not quite sure that blankness kept its dominance, but she didn't want to think about it for fear that she would crack under pressure 'That when you said you loved me, you meant it? That our first night together was real? That all the drawings and all the words were real? That you weren't just messing with my head?'

'No, Caroline, I wasn't' he softly answered, leaning forward so that his elbows rested on his thighs as his eyes began watering. There was so much beauty, yet so much pain in his gentle expression. It was like he summed up the pain of the world and the submissiveness of the guilty all at once. It was like he was opening himself up to be wounded like he had never before, like he was saying "There, take my heart and scar it. It is yours to crush. But don't believe for a minute that what happened was a lie". And Caroline was cracking. Her head was swirling with thoughts, dazed by his words, dazed by his expression, dazed by the memories and how his explanations made everything make sense, how she never doubted his sincerity after that night when music bound them together, how she never questioned for a second his love for her. Caroline was positive that she was not enough of a fool to be played without having any sense of doubt about what truly lay beneath. She wasn't that stupid human who fell head over heels in love with whoever winked at her, right? Could he be honest even when it made so much more sense if he was dishonest? Why would anyone ever be interested in her, let alone that someone be the most powerful creature on earth? 'I fell for you, Caroline. Somewhere along the way, your smile became the only thing that truly matters and seeing it on your face made me the happiest person in the world. You have captured my heart and took my breath away. I had no chance before your gravity and the power of your emotions, Sweet Caroline'

'Then why did you do it? Why did you resume your plans?' she whispered her question. Whispering it was the only chance she had at keeping her voice steady.

_Not caring is supposed to be easier than that! _

'Because I'm a coward' he hung his head in shame, dropping his gaze to the floor 'I couldn't believe that you would stay with me, and I wanted to hurt you before you did'

'It's because of our last fight, isn't it?' Caroline sighed, keeping a straight face despite the raging storm in her head.

'Yes, Caroline' he calmly answered.

She wished he would stop saying her name already. The way it rolled off his tongue made it impossible not to hear it as a melody or torture herself with reminiscing about the feeling that hearing it gave her.

'What you said made me realize that you might leave me anytime, and I couldn't bear the thought. I am such a coward I couldn't even tell you about my fears'

'But I wasn't going to leave you' she heard herself whisper, her throat tightening. Somehow it didn't feel like it was her who spoke, rather someone else who let the words flow out of her mouth despite herself 'I was willing to work things out with you no matter what. Don't you get it, Klaus? I loved you more than anything'

Klaus closed his eyes, fighting his tears as the word _loved _rather than _love _escaped her lips 'I'm so sorry, Caroline' he murmured 'If I would ever be given the choice of taking back a moment in my life, the moment when I decided to hurt you would be my choice. I didn't just hurt you, Caroline, I hurt myself beyond repair as well, because I'm that much of a coward'

'You're lying' she suddenly said drily after a long moment of silence. Klaus's eyes shot up as he looked at her hard face, surprised by the sudden change of her manner.

'Caroline, I'm not' he desperately contradicted.

'You said that you gave me those dreams then took them away from me to make me believe that I was starting to trust you' he nodded shamefully 'You said that after the night you played the violin for me it was all real, but you gave me another dream to mess with my head'

Klaus frowned 'Do you mean that night when you woke up frightened from me?'

'Yes' she snapped

'Caroline, that wasn't my doing' Klaus slowly said 'Whatever you saw that night I had no hand in it. I would have never done that'

'What proof do you have? Why should I believe you?' her tone was accusing.

'I have no proof at all, Caroline. All I have is what I'm feeling.' Hesitantly he rose from his seat and came closer to her. He knelt down in front of her, holding both her hands in his 'I have no right to ask you to believe me, but look into my eyes and tell me that I'm lying, Caroline.'

Holding his gaze was almost suffocating. She forgot how to breathe as the sincerity in his voice and eyes were unmistakable. Staring into them made it impossible to not feel all the pain they held in them. Ad she clenched her jaw. Why couldn't she keep a leash on her emotions in the face of his presence?

'Why are you telling me this, now?' she whispered, unable to drop his gaze.

'Because, Caroline, I can't leave town without you knowing the whole truth; because the thought of you turning into someone else, the thought of you forever changing because of me is unbearable.' He said in an almost-whisper 'I'm not worth it, Caroline. I'm not worth your love, let alone your pain'

She dropped her gaze, staring down at their linked hands where they lay on her lap. Why was it that his referring to himself as someone unworthy of anybody's thoughts hurt her? 'But you mattered so much to me, Klaus' she admitted 'So much that everything else didn't matter anymore. I cared so much that the thought of you not caring made me stop caring about everything, too'

'You can fight it, Caroline' he whispered 'It's not difficult for someone as strong and as brave as you are to fight away the blankness'

'So I could feel pain instead? So I can be tortured with the memory of you?' she spat.

'So you can be who you always wanted to be, Caroline. So you can continue to be the most incredible creature to roam this earth' he brushed a strand of hair away from her beautiful face.

'You have no right to ask me this' she drily stated

'No, I don't' he admitted 'but you owe as much to yourself. Don't let someone as worthless as I destroy your eternity' then he saw it; the gleam of light in her eyes. They shimmered with tiniest bit of light, tiniest bit of spark. Never mind a spark of sadness, but something was there for a fraction of a second, something that was not the hollow, empty stare her eyes had held ever since he set foot in the house, and it encouraged him to press on 'You can become the best broadcasting journalist, Caroline. You can charm the world with your smile, you can sing in Broadway like you always wanted. You can have the whole world at your feet..'

'Stop' she cut him off, withdrawing her hands from his and the spark was replaced with the smallest blaze of anger 'You need to leave' she demanded as she rose to her feet and started striding towards the entrance of the living room, indicating her lack of intention about keeping him there any further.

'Caroline…' he started, coming up to his length as well. He felt his heart clenching in his chest. Did he fail to deliver his goal, or did he turn a bad situation into a worst one?

'Don't' she interrupted, raising a hand to stop him from saying anything further 'Please leave. You owe me as much'.

He licked his upper lip, dropping his gaze to the floor.

A long moment of silence, that lasted for as long as an eternity prevailed until he finally stepped closer to her. He had little hope then, but a last attempt he had to try.

He caught her off guard as he halted right before her 'Can I at least give you this?' he asked, extending a hand that held a piece of parchment towards her.

She eyed him suspiciously.

'Please, take it' he took her hand in his and forced the piece of parchment into her palms 'I can't look at it without remembering you'

She didn't even bother to look at what it was nor did he give her a chance as he stepped closer to her. Their bodies were so close that her eyes were in level with his chest and she had to look up to see his face. Gently he cupped her face and for a second she thought he was about to kiss her lips, but he brushed his warm lips against her forehead, lingering there a tad too much as a tear escaped his eyes. That was it, their goodbye. He had no right to demand to see her again. He had no right to wish to speak to her or have her close to him ever again.

He had no strength to see her; it hurt too much to see her.

He wished he could stay there, lingering at her doorstep for an eternity, having her so close to him for the rest of time, but that was of no use. The longer he stayed the more enhanced his agony was.

'Goodbye, Caroline' he whispered against her hair and then he was gone.

And she was left breathless as she rolled the piece of parchment to see the drawing of a cottage done by a talented ten years old Klaus.

Her vision suddenly became blurry and she felt something warm running down her face. She placed a hand on her cheek to feel water against her fingers.

She was crying.

* * *

**So... What did you guys think? Personally, I'm biased to this one :) But I really REALLY want your honest opinions. I know I said that I would address the Familiar Voice's issue, but you see I thought that the next chapter would fit in with this one which is clearly not the case. But the next chapter being the last one in the story the issue will be solved. So this leaves us with one more chapter and an Epilogue. Can't promise I'll have the done soon, though. I'm SO SORRY, but I'm a senior at high school and have college to apply to and grades to keep up so... LOVE YOU GUYS!**

**And remember, if you need anything find me at tumbler (lostheart95) **

**KBYETHANKS**


	31. Terrible Love

**Hi everyone :D How are you guys? You guys are so good to me with all those reviews and all the support you have been giving me on the last few chapters. **

**And now, I am happily presenting to you the last official chapter of My Love is Vengeance... OK, I'm lying I'm not happy. In fact I'm very sad that this is ending, it's my first fic and it's ending and oh my feels.. I just can't... OK I'm gonna stop talking because there's still the epilogue but you know**

**Happy reading :D **

* * *

**31: Terrible Love**

Stefan listened intently to his surroundings. He was standing by the doorway of the Forbes's residence, trying to listen to any kind of movement in the house, but his hearing registered none. It had been almost two hours since he left Klaus to deal with Caroline, and the stillness around the house made him furrow his brows with anxiety. He had no idea as to what Klaus had done or if he was still in the house altogether. All he could do was hope that Klaus had somehow succeeded in straying Caroline away from her destructive behavior.

Sighing profoundly, he knocked. But again there was no evidence of anyone in the house, nor the sound of footsteps advancing to open the door. Carefully, he tried to open the door without breaking the lock and was surprised when he realized that the door was unlocked.

'Caroline' he called out to the emptiness of the house, stepping into it and closing the door behind him. There wasn't even the sound of her breathing 'Caroline' he said again, louder this time.

Nothing.

Hurriedly, with rising panic he jogged to the living room.

No one was there.

'Caroline' he shouted loudly 'where are you?'

No longer enduring the incredibly slow pace of humans, he flashed to her bedroom to halt by the door, wide-eyed with shock. Caroline was lying on the bed motionless, her back to Stefan as she curled up in a ball.

'Caroline' Stefan softly called after her. When she didn't reply he stepped forward into the room and came around the bed to face her. The only evidence that the blonde was alive was the tears that streamed from her face silently.

Stefan licked his upper lip, taking a seat beside her on the bed. She didn't even seem to notice him until he took her hand in his and squeezed it lightly.

'Hey' he said after thick silence, lacking any better word.

She looked at him through her tears, slightly nodding.

'What did he tell you?' Stefan asked her gently. Although it should have pleased him that Klaus had successfully restored Caroline's feelings, it was not the first thing that he could think of. Instead, he was wincing at the sight of her pain, for no matter how much he preferred for her to go through it then gradually overcome it, his every instinct urged him to somehow stop it.

'He gave me this' she extended her other hand that was pressed to her chest to reveal a rolled piece of parchment.

Hesitantly, Stefan took it from her, rolling the piece opened 'What's this?' he furrowed his brows at the image of an old cottage. The lines were not so straight, as though it was sketched by a talented kid.

'Klaus drew this when he was ten years old' she murmured, looking at Stefan without really seeing him 'it was the first picture he drew'

He swallowed loudly, looking intently at the drawing as he realized its sentimental value 'Are you OK?' he hoarsely asked.

She shook her head "no" lightly.

'I'm sorry' Stefan muttered.

'Why did you put him up to this?' Caroline suddenly whispered, looking at Stefan with anger blazing through her eyes.

Stefan dropped his gaze silently.

'I know you were the one who put him up to this, Stefan' she said louder, spite evident in her voice.

'Caroline..' he started slowly, taking her hand in his again. She immediately withdrew from him and was standing beside the bed within a moment.

'Don't!' she yelled, tears streaming down her face despite her effort to stop them 'Don't try to lecture me! Don't try to reason with me about how much better for me it is!'

'But it _is, _Caroline' he rose to his feet as well, urging her to see reason as he abandoned the picture on the bed.

'No it's not!' she yelled 'it is _not_! I was happier! I was better! I could just forget everything and sleep through it all! I could forget about him. I could close my eyes without remembering his smile or how blue his eyes looked when he was happy. I could forget how it felt like to kiss him. How it felt like to be held by him.' her voice dropped to a whisper then 'I could forget how much I loved him, how much I still love him even after everything he's done…. I could forget it all' her face was soaked with tears by then, every part of her body aching for Klaus's embrace, every inch of her soul missing him, every cell in her heart longing for him.

'But you had to remember' Stefan said huskily, his voice smothered as tears almost escaped his eyes as well.

'No I didn't! I didn't want to remember, Stefan' Caroline's voice shook, unable to keep yelling as her throat tightened and her pain overwhelmed her anger 'I didn't have to remember that even though I should hate him, I love him. I didn't have to remember that despite all he's ever done I still want to be with him. I didn't have to remember how amazing it felt to have him in my life. I didn't have to remember how I can't breathe when I mention him' she paused lowering her gaze as though embarrassed by her own desires. Stefan couldn't stop the tear that trailed down his face 'Why is it so hard to stop feeling, Stefan? Why can't I just stop loving him? Why can't I hate him? Why? Why?' Stefan approached her, wrapping his arms around her soothingly while she sobbed hysterically, resting her head on his shoulder. As though suffering from a panic attack was how she breathed struggling to inhale steadily but to no avail. It felt like every wound she had ever suffered from was torn wide opened, with salt rubbing against it. To say that it ached would be so much of an understatement, for there was no word to describe how anguished she felt. Torn in a billion directions, tortured by the conflict between her own heart and mind. Tormented by her love to the wrongful man, haunted by the memory of him, plagued by the fresh waves of pain his words had brought.

The switch was nothing but an illusion of comfort. She could never stop feeling anything for him; the mere sight of him brought it all back. And as Stefan held her gently, protectively in his own brotherly manner, she knew that she would never stop loving Klaus no matter how much she tried. It was a known fact in her heart. She loved him beyond eternity, she loved him beyond reason, she loved him beyond understanding, beyond words. She loved him with every breath and every cell of her being. She loved him even when she should hate him.

She loved him, but she couldn't be with him.

* * *

Stefan brought back-up. Being the considerate friend he was, he stepped out of the house and left Bonnie and Elena with Caroline instead. If anything, Caroline was in a desperate need of the girls' company even if it was for the distraction they could provide rather than their advice. He could be supportive all he wanted, but girls talked about such things far more openly with each other.

So Bonnie and Elena stepped into her house and stumbled upstairs to her room where she was sitting on her bed with sweat shirt and pants, her hair tied up and looking like a complete mess. Nevertheless, she broke a small smile when she saw the two girls entering the room and hopping on the bed, with pillows and a bunch of DVDs in their hands.

'I forgot how small your bed was' Elena started lightly.

Caroline smiled, slapping her shoulder playfully.

A long moment of silence passed as the girls stared into empty space, at complete loss of what they should do or say.

'You wanna talk about it, Care?' Bonnie asked gently and Caroline shook her head 'You wanna watch a bunch of movies and eat chocolate ice-cream instead?'

Caroline nodded.

'Great!' Elena cheerfully said 'So we have The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, Love Actually, Pride and Prejudice' she began counting 'And most importantly, Titanic. Everything you need to have faith in true love back!'

'Give me that' Caroline said urgently, pointing to the Titanic DVD.

'Uh-ok' Elena said giving her the DVD with obvious confusion by her urgency.

To her friends' extreme surprise, Caroline extracted the DVD from its box and snapped it in two, then snapped both halves in two, then threw it in the trash along with its box.

'Umm what are you doing?' Bonnie frowned 'You love that movie!'

'Yes!' Elena objected 'You love Jack and Rose and always cry when Jack dies'

'Well' Caroline began 'Klaus was totally right. Jack did Rose a huge favor. He died as her savior instead of someone who broke her heart and left her alone to mend it like he inevitably would have' she spat, sitting back in her place with her eyebrows pulled together in a frown and her arms crossed tightly on her chest in an angry manner.

'I'm guessing you watched that movie with Klaus, then' Elena pointed out with a sigh, successfully hiding how absurd she found it.

'Yes!' Caroline huffed 'the asshole even ruined my favorite movie! He literally left me with nothing' she wasn't desperate when she said that, though, she was angry, almost frustrated.

'But it doesn't have to be this way, Care' Elena started gently, after a few minutes of silence.

'What do you mean?' Caroline blinked, raising her eyebrows at her friend.

'I mean, you don't have to look at it this way' Elena explained 'You can see it like he gave you a bunch of good memories and a love that you never thought you could have'

'Are we still talking about Klaus, Elena?' Caroline squinted.

'Of course I am, silly' Elena rolled her eyes 'it's so obvious how much you loved him, Caroline, from the way you reacted to his betrayal. If you hadn't loved him so much, you wouldn't have turned your humanity off just to stop the pain'

Caroline looked down at her hands, staring at them intently before muttering 'But he didn't leave me any good memories, Elena. Whenever I remember my happy moments with him, the ones when he was so loving and tender, all I feel is pain, because I remember that it was all a lie' she brought her knees up to her chest, hugging them.

'I don't believe that he didn't love you, Care' Bonnie started confidently 'If he hadn't loved then he wouldn't have gone out of his way to help you get your humanity back. That was not an act of someone who doesn't care'

'Exactly' Elena nodded 'Besides, he had a better chance with you without your humanity. If all he wanted was to use you for sex, it would've been so much easier for him if you didn't feel anything and flirted with everything that walked'

Caroline bit her lower lips, turning tomato red at the memory of how she flirted with Stefan shamelessly less than twenty four hours before.

'I kinda believed him when he came over this morning' she slowly said 'he just sounded so sincere. But I'm too frightened to believe him again. If it turns out that he was lying again, I won't be able to handle it'

'But his every action had been sincere, Care' Elena gently pointed out. Caroline just gave her a confused stare 'Look, I'm not a big fan of Klaus' Caroline scoffed but Elena ignored her, continuing her theory 'but Stefan told me how happy you sounded when the two of you were together. And I owe you an apology for being such a bitch about it when you first told me, but now I see it. You were happy with him and that's all that matters and, true, he broke your heart, but considering how complex Klaus is, I really don't think it had anything to do with you, I really think it had everything to do with him and his insecurities. Ever since the incident he hadn't done anything but showing remorse and ever so slightly pain towards what he's done to you. So I really don't think he's lying.' She hurriedly explained.

'Stefan told you to give me that speech, didn't he?' Caroline asked after a short moment of silence, tilting her head.

Elena started to object but Caroline raised an eyebrow at her 'OK, fine, he did' she huffed, chuckling 'minus the apology part'

Caroline lightly laughed genuinely for the first time since she had returned to Mystic Fall.

'No really' Bonnie said between chuckles 'I think Stefan_ slash _Elena is right. He had no reason to help you. And he could have killed any of us, but that would have destroyed his every chance of ever getting back on your good graces. So I really think you have smitten the Original Hybrid, Care'

'Well, his chance is pretty much shattered' Elena pointed out casually, looking over at Caroline for confirmation, but the latter didn't answer, not even with a nod of her head 'Right, Care?' she raised an eyebrow at her.

Caroline just kept staring at the sheets intently, as though trying to tune out the voices of her friends.

'Caroline' Elena urged her 'he ran out of chances, didn't he?'

'I don't know,' Caroline sighed, tears welling in her eyes 'I love him so much, Elena. I don't know if I can ever stop loving him'

'Whether you love him or not was never the question' Bonnie gently said, placing a soothing hand on Caroline's back 'it's whether you can trust him or not'

That had more truth to it than anything. After the latest event of Klaus's gentleness, Caroline's every chance of ever hating Klaus had been destroyed. Try as she might to hate him, recalling all the terrible things he's done, remembering all the hurtful things he'd said, clinging to the memory of his darkest days, none of it will matter. The memory of his gentleness, of his loving touch and fiery gaze would always prevail. The recollection of his true self would hunt her. She would always remember that everything he'd said, no matter how painful, was nothing but a lie, a reflex that he used in fear of being wounded by the people he loved most, an insecurity that had lived with him for far too long.

Caroline could never hate him.

But that did not matter; she couldn't quite trust him, nor could he trust her.

'I don't know if I can ever trust him again, Bon' Caroline muttered, dropping her gaze 'but the way things ended makes it so hard to move on. It's like… it's like…' she stumbled on her words 'It's like I will never be able to move on from his memory. It's like I'm stuck being his for as long as I live.'

'You need a closure' Elena concluded.

'I don't know if I need a closure or a start over' Caroline sighed.

A closure was as useless as any. Caroline would never stop being his. He had guaranteed that she was ruined for any other man. She may love again, but she would never be someone's completely like she was Klaus's.

The girl's chatter ceased then, all anxiously looking for a word that would somehow end Caroline's suffering but failing for there was no actual cure for loving someone too much.

'Well, my relationship and break-up is everything but ordinary. We can't really deal with it like we deal with normal break-ups' Caroline mocked

'Yeah' Elena smiled 'I guess no romantic movies, then' she pushed the DVDs to the floor carelessly

'And no chocolate ice cream' Bonnie put that back on the nightstand.

'Can we just sit in silence doing nothing?' Caroline requested.

Both girls nodded.

And the night was spent in silence, as the three girls lay on the bed staring on the ceiling and wondering what the next day would bring.

* * *

The same dream was repeated that night to Caroline. She was floating in blue skies with Klaus dressed in a suit as white as the clouds. He muttered the same words, with the exact same expression then disappeared, leaving Caroline with her confusion.

But that did not last for long, for when she left the room silently and crouched beside the door, she thoroughly thought of it until it finally clicked in her head.

Her nightmares, the ones that Klaus gave her, had their own eeriness; one of those was the Familiar Voice that haunted her throughout those, the one that made her distinguish between the dreams that were enforced to her sleep by Klaus and the ones that he had no hand in them. She had fought long and hard to conjure the picture of its owner from her subconscious, whether it was during the dream or once she woke up. However, the image had never quite hit her.

Until that night as she sat near her bedroom door, fidgeting her hands nervously.

The Familiar Voice was no one but Klaus's. Of course, that would not have been such a great surprise if it wasn't for the other realization that hit her; Klaus had never meant for her to hear that voice. That was the only explanation that made sense. If Klaus had truly wanted to confuse her, he wouldn't contradict himself in the same dream, he would definitely not use his own voice to push her away from himself. What if Klaus had not done that consciously? It would be the only explanation as to why she remembered everything about the dream when she woke up except how that voice sounded. Could it be somehow a surfacing from his own subconscious?

And now that dream, that very peaceful but very painful dream was pointing to the same direction. It was like her subconscious was trying to tell her something, trying to tell her that even Klaus's attempts to manipulate her had not gone according to plan.

Caroline was suddenly short of breath, because he cared even when he thought he didn't.

* * *

She could only hope was that The Originals had not left yet when she left her house at the crack of dawn. Her legs dragged her towards the road on their own accord, racing to get to him. Why did she want to see him for one last time? She did not know.

A closure or a start over or maybe a third option that she did not quite know what it was.

But that did not matter, because all she wanted was to see him. She would know what to do when she saw him. That she sincerely believed. Once she would see his eyes again she would know what to do.

She would know whether she needed a closure or a start over.

The mansion looked grim, hollow. The doors were wide opened and every piece of furniture was gone. And Caroline felt her tears overwhelming her.

He had left. She did not get to see him one last time.

Why couldn't she figure out how much she needed that reunion, even if a brief one, before?

'Oh God' she gasped, pressing a hand to her mouth as she stared at the empty, dark foyer 'he left'

Tears streamed down her face. She would never know what she needed. She would never know how seeing him again would feel like. She would spend an eternity wondering what could have happened.

She was beginning to leave with a broken heart when she heard heels clanking against the floor behind her. Rapidly turning around, she saw Rebekah and Caroline had never been happier to see her.

'Caroline?' Rebekah said, astonished by the blonde's arrival 'What are you doing here?'

'Where is he?' Caroline asked, not bothering with formalities or manners, too eager to lay her eyes on him to care.

'He's upstairs' Rebekah said with a small smile 'probably already waiting for you'

'Thank you' Caroline quickly said, advancing to the staircase already.

'Caroline' Rebekah stopped her 'You're going to leave him, aren't you?' she asked, her eyes slightly forming tears.

'Rebekah…' Caroline started

'Because if you are there is no use of you seeing him again' she interrupted 'it'll only hurt him more'

'I need to see him' Caroline calmly said, dropping her gaze to the floor 'you have to understand that'

'You know he truly loves you' Rebekah said with slight sharpness that could be rendered as a warning to Caroline 'I've known my brother his entire life and I've never seen him express his feelings to anyone as much as he does for you. I've never seen him so hurt before'

'But you know that I wasn't the one who caused that' Caroline said with more spite than intended 'he was the one who ruined things'

'He's always the one who ruins things, Caroline' Rebekah stated with a mocking smile forming on her lips 'it's his way of lashing out. When I talked to you in London, I was not talking about _you _manipulating him. It was my own way of trying to push you away from him, because I knew that's how it would end. I knew that you were falling for him just like he was for you. I knew it would ultimately lead to you pushing him to open up to you. And he would. But then when Nik opens up to someone, he feels far too vulnerable and as soon as that realization hits, he lashes out.'

'Which is exactly what happened' Caroline concluded.

'Which is what happens between me and Nik all the time' Rebekah said 'except that he can dagger me and carry me around with him, but he can't do that with you' she sadly concluded.

'But you gave him a reason to believe that you would leave him' Caroline pointed out, recalling what Stefan had told her about the period of the twenties 'I didn't'

'You did, Caroline' Rebekah quietly said 'even if not a solid or a valid one. He's become far more guarded since then'

'It's because of that last night' Caroline muttered. It all went back to it that dreadful, horrible night when everything had been destined to end. She did not know whether it was her foolishness or his stubbornness that contributed the most to the loss of this relationship, and placing blame was rather insignificant. What's done is done and some things were irretrievable, that night would forever be a scar, a thorn in Caroline's side that she had no idea how to remove.

'Now go' Rebekah shoed her away 'I'm in trouble already. Nik will probably kill me for this conversation'

Caroline smiled, flashing upstairs.

* * *

He did not know what to expect as he heard her fast pace towards his art studio. He did not know if his sister's speech, which she would pay severely for, had affected Caroline in a good or a bad way. He did not know if he should expect her to be resentful, pained or loving. He did not know if she came to bid him goodbye or to find her way back to his arms. All he knew was that if his heart was beating, it would be racing so fast that it could almost explode. A feeling of nervousness increased by each step she took closer to the room.

He saw the door starting to crack opened and strands of blonde hair appearing gradually, until it opened completely for him to see Caroline standing with her breathtaking beauty. He gasped softly, seeing her blue eyes as warm as he remembered them carrying a hint of sadness and pain with them. He wanted to approach her, take her in his arms, kiss her like there was no tomorrow, but he stayed frozen, unable to do anything but gaze at her like she was a divine beauty he could not tear his eyes away from.

She swallowed loudly. It seemed that somehow she had forgotten how seeing him raged a storm of feelings through her when she first decided to come to his mansion. She was a tangled mess of emotions as she lost herself in the sadness of his blue eyes, completely surrendering to their painful warmth and torturous melancholic spark, surrendering to the gravity of his gaze and the way they pulled her in that she found herself stepping closer to him.

She was not resisting. Her every sense was urging her to close the offensive distance between them. She moved slowly, as if making sure that he would not suddenly disappear, as if making sure that he would not turn into that terrible monster, as if making sure that he was her Niklaus.

Until she was standing right in front of him. He wasn't going anywhere. He wasn't saying anything taunting. He wasn't looking anywhere but at her. His eyes were longing, yearning as hers formed tears while she took in his features. It was like seeing him for the first time all over again. And she found herself cupping his face gently, running her delicate hands over his rough subtle, tracing his lips with her thumb and tenderly brushing her fingers over his long eyelashes while he stood perfectly still, his breathing hitched in his throat that it came out like short pants with slight tremor to them.

Oh, how much he had missed her touch, its tenderness, its warmth, the flutter it gave him. It felt like he was finally back home when she ran her hands from his face, down to his neck, and his chest where they stayed carefully placed. She felt his chest heaving up and down with his short breaths as her eyes locked with his. Both were on the verge of tears, but neither could determine their reason nor cared to do that.

Before she knew it, she had wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her head to his chest, sighing with relief when he immediately responded and wrapped his arms around her, tightly embracing her, clinging to her, like someone who had been left in a tunnel, surrounded with darkness that he had forgotten what it felt like to see light again; until, alas, he found the light at the end of the tunnel, and he was as close as ever to it. He could almost feel it enveloping him with hope with warmth and a promise of happiness.

She felt tears streaming down her face. She had missed him so much. She had missed him too much that she never wanted to let go of him. She wanted to stay planted forever in her place, doing nothing and saying nothing but feeling his arms wrapped around her and his body pressed tightly against hers, feeling that spark, that fire, igniting once again between them.

She pulled away ever so slightly to gaze into his eyes 'I missed you so much' she breathed, her voice too broken to be clear, her mind too distraught to form any coherent sentence except the one that was screaming at her, the sentence that was the only thing she could feel.

He didn't say anything, but took her face in his hands and crashed his lips into hers, the shock of her soft lips hitting him as though for the first time. Despite himself the kiss instantly heated up, losing its gentleness and entangling them in a passionate embrace as they gripped onto each other so tightly it could have suffocated them were they still human. They weren't in control of themselves that moment, consumed and swallowed by the burning fire of their touches, lost in each other's mouth and the feeling being so close to each other again gave.

Nothing mattered that moment, not the past or the future or all the people around them or even their wrong doings. All that mattered was each other, and even if they couldn't have eternity together they could at least have that moment. With that thought lingering in their heads, they refused to break the kiss no matter how breathless they were.

Caroline moaned, wrapping her arms around his neck and trying so hard to bring him closer to her even though the space between them was none-existent. He placed a hand at the small of her back, pressing her closer to him, seeking the warmth she could provide. But that was not enough for her and she draped a leg around his. He then lifted her from the ground, breaking apart ever so slightly so they can catch their breath. Slowly, he backed them to the sofa which was the only remaining piece of furniture that he did not plan to move with him.

They dropped to it, Caroline in Klaus's lap, straddling him and kissing him ardently. He did not do anything other than kiss her back, meeting her urgency with one of his own, and caress her back whilst holding her close. He went with her own pace, not wanting to assume what she wanted and having her pull away from him altogether no matter how much he was tempted to go further.

After a few moments, when things started to get out of control, Caroline reluctantly broke apart. She stayed seated in his lap, staring into his blue eyes and wondering how she could ever live without their gaze. Neither of them smiled, even if that seemed like an appropriate time to do that. Too caught up in the moment and still shocked by the effect they had no each other they were. Silence filled the room, the only thing breaking it their heavy breathing. A certain fear hovered in Klaus's eyes that stopped him from uttering a word. As he held Caroline in his arms, he wondered if she came to say goodbye or if she wanted him back and the fright over the fact that it may be the first option prevented him from saying anything. If it was the first option, he wanted to live in the illusion of getting her back for as long as possible. He wanted to feel her in his arms for as long as she should allow him. He wanted to kiss her until she stopped him. So he didn't say a thing, staring fierily into her eyes instead and enjoying the way she ran her hand through his hair.

She untangled herself from the straddling position she held, only to sit on his lap again, but this time cradled to his chest and inhaling his scent.

He still asked no questions, and she prayed he would for she had no idea how to say what she wanted to utter. Another selfish part of her quite enjoyed his silence, too contented with the way he was gently stroking her hair with his very inviting embrace and intoxicating scent enveloping her. Could she just stay there without a care in the world? That was all she needed, that was all she would ever need.

But some wishes were far too surreal to be reached.

'You're saying goodbye, aren't you?' Klaus muttered, his voice hoarse and strangled, once she kept silent for far too long and his heart no longer endured the ache that ripped through it 'That's why you are silent, isn't it?'

She did not utter a word for a minute, not trusting her voice if she spoke, taking a strangled breath in a desperate attempt to stop the tears that threatened to make an appearance. If only he had let them have a little bit longer. And even though she should have pulled away and made eye contact with him for what she was about to say, she didn't, finding it far easier to talk without being distracted by the emotions that would certainly run through his eyes.

'The dreams you used to give me' she began saying calmly instead of answering his question 'there was this voice in them, someone telling me to get away from you whenever you offered help' he didn't say a thing, confused by her declaration 'I did not know who it belonged to first' she continued 'It's like it would get blocked from me as soon as I wake up. Even during the dream I couldn't connect the voice with an image or a name. It was very confusing'

'Caroline, I….' he started, attempting to apologize for his doing.

'Until I realized something a few hours ago' she cut him off 'It was you'

'I have no idea what you're talking about' he admitted, raking his brain for any familiarity of what she was saying without any use.

'I know' she muttered, sighing before pulling away ever so slightly to look into his eyes. The warmth of his chest was replaced by the warm sadness in his eyes. It broke her heart to see him so tortured, it made her wish that she could wipe it away from his blue gaze and replace it with the delighted spark and the dimpled smile 'I think I knew all along that it was you, Niklaus'

He almost gasped hearing his name from her lips again.

'The problem is that _you _didn't know' she muttered 'I've been dreaming about you the past two nights. You were saying that you cared even when you thought you didn't.'

'I think I did' he calmly said 'but I didn't realize that until it was too late'

'Yes' Caroline nodded sadly 'and when you did realize it, you tried to push me away, you almost lost me' she added, recalling how painful his words were back at the night when he played the violin and found his way to her heart 'We came over that, though. But then you did what I feared you would do the most when we fought' she dropped her gaze, not wanting him to see how much his doing hurt her 'you left' she concluded.

He pressed his lips tightly, placing a finger under her chin and forcing her to look into his eyes 'I shouldn't have lied to you, Caroline' he started 'from the very beginning. But I do love you'

'And I believe you' she admitted 'I believe every word you have said yesterday. But you hurt us both. And once again you didn't realize how much it would hurt both of us until it was too late…. Far too late this time' she whispered the last sentence

'It doesn't have to be late, Caroline' he said far more composedly than he thought he would.

'But it is' Caroline contradicted, tears brimming in her eyes 'It is too late' she gulped down, trying to stop the pain that invaded her heart at the sight of his anguished features 'I love you' she said 'I love you so much. I will always love you. But I don't trust you. I _can't _trust you. And you can't trust me, either. No matter what I'll do you'll never trust me enough'

'No, Caroline, don't do this' He desperately said, tears pooling in his eyes 'Please don't. We can work on it. I am willing to do _everything _I can to earn your trust, no matter how much it costs. Please, you don't have to do this. I know that I have no right to ask you a second chance, but I love you, Caroline, and we can do this'

'But we can't' she said, a tear escaping her eyes 'as much as I would love to believe this could happen, it really can't. I need time to heal. And so do you. There are a lot of things you have to overcome to be able to stay in a healthy relationship'

'I don't care about having a healthy relationship if it wasn't with you, Caroline' he vulnerably said 'You are my happiness'

'And you are mine' she whispered, linking her hands behind his neck 'I'll never love anyone as much as I love you. But if we go on with this, and ignore all the pain we've put each other through, and all the actual obstacles, we'll be each other's misery. Gosh, Nik, you dagger your siblings just because you think they would leave you, how do I know that you wouldn't hurt the people I love just to keep me with you'

'I would never do that' Klaus said with a tilt of his head.

'But you see I don't believe you when you say that. And I don't think that _you _believe it' she said avoiding the pain that was willing up in her chest.

'But I didn't do it when I thought that you would leave me last time' he reasoned, his voice hitching in his throat despite himself.

'You lashed out instead. Cruelly. _Twice_' she said, failing to hide the bitterness in her voice 'and just how many more times would you keep lashing out like this before you start holding me by threats. And I'll start hating you' she felt another tear drop from her eyes as she continued to whisper 'And I can't bear the thought of hating you, Niklaus. I can't bear the thought of hating to be around you or hating to be touched by you or resenting the sight of you or even fearing being in your company/ I'd rather to die instead'

'_I_'d rather die instead of doing this to you' Klaus murmured, gently wiping a tear away from her face.

'Now, you do. But once it truly comes down to it, you would do anything to keep me with you' she cradled his face in her hands, trying to hold on to the memory of his tenderness for her time was running out. She can't stay much longer. Otherwise she would start cracking under pressure 'You have to work on your inner demons so I can be with you, Nik'

He couldn't say anything; at complete loss of what he should do. As much as he hated it, he had to admit that she was right.

'Loving you would never be enough, would it?' was what he said alas, a tear escaping his eye.

'I wish it was' she said between sobs 'but it's because I love you I can't be with you right now, Nik. It would kill me to hate you' she whispered.

Neither said anything, but fell into a passionate, pained embrace instead. She sobbed as he held her in his arms, his tears silently streaming down his face.

'Keep the light in that painting, Niklaus' was what she lastly said before disappearing into thin air.

And he was hugging vacancy.

* * *

_Two weeks later_

'There's a delivery to Miss Caroline Forbes' the man that had knocked on the door two seconds ago said with a cheeky grin.

'Yes, that's me' Caroline asked with a small smile.

He handed her a long, brown envelop and told her to sign before darting off the porch.

The envelope had no stamp or note on it which made her frown in confusion, wondering who it could be that would send her anything.

And as a sudden realization hit her, she gasped, opening the envelope with trembling hands. She could feel tears pooling in her eyes when she saw a familiar dark-blue, velvet box that held the bracelet she thought she would never see again. Much to her disappointment there was no note attached to it.

But it didn't matter.

She fastened the bracelet around her wrist, vowing silently to never take it off.

Because…

_Perhaps one day ….._

* * *

**I'm not even going to say a thing, except that the epilogue will be up within two days at most. I just want to give you guys time to read this before I can post the epilogue and I hate double-updates, so... tell me what you think of this? **

**OK, now I'm going. Just remember I am available at tumblr (lostheart95) and I'm willing to answer your every question and/or listen to you hating me for being such a mean writer. **

**And I love you all the same guys :D **


	32. Epilogue: Perhaps One Day

**No author note up here guys, just below. Make sure to read it :)**

* * *

**Epilogue: Perhaps One Day**

_80 years later_

'So we are going to have dinner at this Indian cuisine and then we are heading to the theatre' Stefan listed as he walked in the middle of Elena and Caroline along London streets.

'But before that we need to get back to the hotel. I need to change' Elena said, pressing herself closer to Stefan.

'Alright' Stefan smiled down at her.

'What about you, Care?' Elena said with a smile of awe that she couldn't help 'You need to freshen up, too?'

Caroline was silent as she walked with her head down, staring at the concrete floor below her. There was this gloomy feeling that refused to leave her side ever since her arrival to London, a feeling that she expected when she first hopped onto the plane but wished beyond reason that she would come over it.

'Caroline? You still there?' Elena raised an eyebrow at her, leaning forward to look at her at Stefan's other side, her arms crossed over her chest in distressed manner and eyes as sad as well as pained.

'You OK, Care?' Elena frowned, but it wasn't until Stefan nudged her in the elbow that Caroline came out of her thoughtful state.

'Hmmm?' She asked, looking up at them with a small fake smile.

'Were you listening to anything we've been saying?' Elena asked, raising an eyebrow.

'Yeah, you guys wanna go have dinner in some Indian place then go to the theatre' she repeated robotically.

'Yeah, we are going, as in the three of us' Stefan said, his eyes flashing briefly to the bracelet that was still attached to her wrist even after all those years. Her secret prayer of finding her way back to him, the man she loved despite all attempts not to. As though bound by this bracelet to him for all eternity she was, refusing to let go of the smallest beam of light that was being demolished day after day, but the prayer never left her eyes.

'No, you guys go ahead' she said casually 'I don't wanna be a third wheel while you two go all love-birds on me' she teased 'And you really don't want me to be there'

'Don't say that' Elena rolled her eyes 'Caroline, we invited you to come with us'

'Doesn't mean I have to shoe you everywhere you go!' she raised an eyebrow at her 'And even if I chose to be single, I really don't want to watch two people going all cheesy and lovey-dovey on me' she batted her eyelashes sarcastically.

'Don't you think you've been single for way too long?' Stefan asked in a mix of lightness and seriousness 'It's almost been a _century_'

Caroline dropped her gaze to hide the narrowing of her eyes but quickly looked back at him with a scarce smile. She knew to what he was referring, however, chose to ignore it and playfully replied instead 'Hey! I've had relationships!'

'A two weeks affair with a random human every a few months is not a relationship, Care' Stefan said seriously.

Elena tugged at his elbow, giving him a disapproving glare when Caroline dropped her gaze with a sigh.

'I'm sorry, Care' Stefan muttered.

'That's OK,' she said with a small smile that widened as she teasingly added 'Stef'

Stefan groaned 'Not again'

'You earned it' Elena happily supported with a sly smile.

'I knew I shouldn't get caught in the middle of two girls' Stefan made a face and the girls doubled with laughter.

'Oh you feel sorry for yourself now?' Caroline teased 'That's OK, Stef, you're meeting up with Damon in a couple of weeks'

'Weren't you going somewhere?' Stefan frowned at her playfully.

'Are you kicking me out?' Caroline said faking anger and planting her feet in the ground as she stood in front of Stefan.

'We're already out' he said with a mocking smile 'I'm kicking you away' he teased.

Caroline stepped on his foot, trying to keep a straight face but failing.

Elena laughed harder when Stefan crouched muttering something about not picking up fights with ''neurotic, insecure control freaks on crack'' 'Stop it, guys!' Elena said between giggles 'We need to leave now or we won't get to have dinner before going to the theatre'

Stefan hailed a cab for him and Elena. They were climbing into it when he stopped and turned to face Caroline

'You sure you don't wanna come with us?' he cautiously asked 'You know you'll be alone in London'

'I know' she smiled reassuringly at him 'And that's exactly what I want'

'OK' he nodded with a smile of his own 'Just take care of yourself'

'I will' she assured him with a friendly hug 'you guys have fun, and I'll see you tomorrow'

* * *

She couldn't help the tears in her eyes. She walked silently, aimlessly, with loneliness weighting over her chest. She did not know where she wanted to go, nor cared about that fact for all she wanted was to drown herself in the empty feeling no matter how painful that was; because she needed it.

For eighty years, _eighty _years, she had been bound to him. There was not a single day when she did not think about him. There was not a single hour that she did not remember him, his kisses, his touches, his eyes, his smile and the dimples that broke through his delight. There was not a single minute that she did not wonder if he was alright, if he was happy, if he was still smiling or crying, if he was pained or peaceful. There was not a single second that she did not wonder if he was thinking about her as much as she was thinking about him.

Through all those years, she had hope. A foolish hope, some called it, but a blind one that no one could ever understand she would differ. Maybe it was just her way to survive the days when she just felt like curling in a ball and crying, or the ones where she couldn't tear her eyes away from the now-framed picture of them in Spain that she secretly kept, or the days when she could do nothing but fumble with that bracelet of hers that she refused to take off no matter how much she convinced herself that she should. She gave up at some point, though; knowing that she'll never part from it, knowing that even in her death her shrivel body would be buried along with it.

During those eighty years, she had managed to pay visits to a lot of beautiful cities around the world. But there were certain places she could never go to. The list consisted of: Rome, Paris, Tokyo, London, Scotland and Spain. There were just too many memories there. And every time she bought a ticket to one of those places, she would back down at the last minute, storming away from the airport and spending a whole week crying afterwards. This time, however, when Stefan and Elena offered her to come with them on their first visit to one of the most magnificent cities in the world, she did not decline instantly like she would normally react despite her knowledge that this was their own way of telling her that it was time to move on.

Firstly, she had settled to "I'll think about it" and spent the entire night thoughtful. True, she hadn't been miserable for the past eighty years, but there was always this feeling of emptiness that violated her happy moments. Like the moment when Bonnie and Jeremy got married or when Matt and his wife finally managed to conceive a child and he asked Caroline to be her Godmother, even if she could only be available for so long before having to disappear. The moment when she graduated from college for the first time as a broadcasting journalist and felt herself choke when his words rung in her ears. And she felt that if she ever had any intention of loving again, or truly wanted to be fully happy again, she had to go through the painful step of healing.

And visiting London was supposed to be the first step towards it.

She would walk around, remember her moments with him and let them go. Somehow, she would convince herself that she no longer hoped that he would show up at her doorstep; that she did not hope to see him in a random place walking down the street with his glorious swagger.

She would let herself heal.

'Hey, you're that girl!' a pale blonde woman beamed at Caroline, forcing her out of her thoughts.

Caroline frowned at her.

'That girl from the art exhibit!' the young woman excitedly said, pulling at a man's arm who seemed to be her boyfriend 'Gosh it's such a magnificent piece of work' she added.

'What exhibit?' Caroline asked, at complete loss.

'You know, that young man's exhibit two blocks away from here' she explained eagerly 'Gosh I forgot his name. What was his name, Derek?'

'I don't know, dear' Derek seemed to be plainly bored.

'Hold on I think I have the brochure' she said, fumbling through her bag under Caroline's eager, but for some reason frightened, gaze 'Ah! There it is' the woman said grinning 'his name is Niklaus Mikealson'

Caroline gasped, snatching the brochure a little rudely from the woman's grasp. The latter didn't seem to mind, though.

'His name sounds so fancy and as old as time but he's really young…' the young woman kept ranting.

But Caroline wasn't listening. Her breathing was hitched in her throat, her mind was racing, her hands were trembling and a mixture of nervous excitement and fear invaded her. Her eyes scanned the brochure; his picture was there, looking his torturously handsome self and under it was a biography about him that was most certainly false.

She didn't care about any of that, for two pictures of his work were shown on the brochure.

And she knew both.

The ghostly figures and her face along with the sunset.

'…. Of course I told Derek to buy me one of the paintings but he said that we should not waste out money on such meaninglessness. Can you believe …' The Woman was saying

'Can you give me directions to this exhibit?' Caroline interrupted her. There was not time for manners.

'Yes, of course' the woman said as she explained the way to Caroline.

* * *

Her legs couldn't run fast enough. Whether that was caused by the way they trembled or by the simple fact that anticipating something only made it seem farther out of reach, she did not know.

Caroline was prepared for anything but this. And as she jogged at the excruciatingly slow human pace, she had no clue what she would say or do once she saw him. It was not her mind that worked that second, but the pull and the gravity that radiated from him and drew her in like it always will. Maybe this gravity actually existed. Maybe that was why she ended up in the street, to see that woman. Maybe she was looking for him without even knowing it.

It didn't matter. All that mattered was that he was so very close to her. Only a few meters away until she would see him again. She was so close, so very close.

Caroline didn't even check the big picture at the front entrance to know if she was in the right place, she could already feel his closeness. She stepped into the fancy-looking place. Expectantly enough, Klaus never did things halfway for the place itself was of great taste. Slowly, she began wandering, between his paintings, focusing her attention on them rather than the stream of faces. She knew that if she saw him first, she would never spare a glance towards a painting and she didn't want that to happen. And she wanted to see the one or two paintings he had for her, two being the number she expected.

What she didn't expect, though, was him dedicating a whole section for his paintings of her. A small sign indicated that this section was under the title ''Light''. She didn't immediately advance into the corridor that was crammed with her face, standing there for a second to steady her breathing. She felt tears in her eyes as she began to take them in, she was everywhere, smiling, laughing, seducing, crying. Some were from live scenes, like the one with the sunset behind her, the only one she knew, others were imagined, like the one where she stood in pitch darkness but still radiated light around her. The striking contrast in that painting made it hard to look away from it, and a group of people were discussing in murmurs their views about it, too worked up in their theories to see Caroline standing right next to them.

But it was the biggest painting in that section that gained most people's admiration.

Caroline wandered to the painting that was centered with its glorious size commanding attention. It was almost as tall as Caroline and as wide as her stretched arms, a little wider even that if she was a human she had no chance of being able to carry it. Her eyes immediately formed tears at the breathtaking beauty before her. It was a close up of her face, showing only her neck and shoulders before ending. The background was blue, varying to different shades from the darkest at the left side of the painting, until gradually turning into the lightest blue at the right side, the shades made striking contrast with the bright blonde color of her soft curls as they framed her face and floated over her shoulders. The absolute brilliance of the picture, though, was not only in the usage of colors, but rather in Caroline's expression. Her radiant smile was intact to her face, seeming so truly genuine that the tear trailing down her face would seem one of happiness at first sight. But the longer Caroline looked at it, the more sadness she saw in her face. There was something extremely melancholic about her blue eyes that made it almost undeniable that her smile was a façade to sadness that bore so deep within her soul and tore at the spark in her eyes.

Although sad, the painting was breathtaking; absolutely fascinating that Caroline refused to believe that she was that beautiful. It was like his brush strokes knew how to make even the most heinous parts of her seem so beautiful, like he reflected how he saw her in that painting. She couldn't help but wonder how he managed to paint this masterpiece, how he managed to make it look so flawless. She wondered what was he thinking when he painted it? How he felt? Did he cry or was he smiling? Was he thinking of how much he loved her or how much he never wanted to see her again? She wondered if she would ever know the full story, if she would ever get to see his eyes while he told her what it was like to spend decade after decade away from her, if it even mattered how long he had spent away.

She couldn't see herself worth his thoughts for such a long time, even if the endless lines of paintings said otherwise.

Her stream of thoughts was interrupted when she heard a familiar sound, the sound of his amused chuckle. She gulped down, turning slowly on her heels and looking from one face to the other, looking for his smile.

She didn't see his smile, though. She saw the back of his head instead as he stood talking to Kol not too far away from her.

And before she knew it, she was approaching him.

* * *

'Come on, Nik! You gave me the smallest painting in the entire exhibit!' Kol protested like a ten years old child 'I won't compare myself to Bekah, I know better, but I thought I had a chance over Elijah but his is far bigger it's not fair!'

Klaus laughed lightly 'Oh, Kol, stop trying to compete for my affections' he teased 'you're lucky to have had any kind of presence in the exhibit after all your misgivings' Klaus grinned.

But Kol's face dropped slightly, as something caught his eyes behind Klaus's shoulder, but he quickly retrieved a mischievous grin and looked back at Klaus, ready to tease his brother 'Well, brother, it looks like the subject of most of your affections is here'

'What do you mean?' Klaus frowned, but Kol only pointed with his head behind Klaus.

Klaus turned around quickly and saw what he last expected to see that day… Caroline.

It was like suddenly the whole world had gone quite, all chatter ceased and all faces disappeared. He did not hear Kol as he said teasingly "I'm going to tell Bekah! She's so in love with cheesy reunions". He did not hear the young woman who was complementing his work. He did not see the flock of people around his paintings. All he saw was her dazzled face and teary eyes meeting his own.

'Caroline?' his voice was barely a whisper, unable to believe that her presence would be anything but a fragment of his imagination.

'Hey' was all she could say with a small smile that came out shaky despite herself. Caroline did not realize how achingly she had missed him until she saw him, all she truly wanted to do was to throw herself in his arms, but somehow she managed to contain her emotions. Maybe because looking into his eyes after all those years was still as absorbing and as distracting as ever.

'You look stunning' he said, his voice still hitched in his throat. There was barely any distance between the two of them and being so close to her after all those years without being able to hold her in his arms was far more torturous than he anticipated. There were so many things he wanted to tell her. He wanted to tell her how much he missed her, how much he had thought about her during those years, how tormenting it was to have to live without her, how his entire life had revolved around her even when she wasn't there. He wanted to tell her that he was there the day of her mother's funeral, hovering outside her window, aching to comfort her as she sobbed the whole night through as he watched from her window, whispering "It's all going to be OK" and hoping beyond reason that she somehow felt him. He wanted to tell her that that was what gave him the inspiration to paint that large picture of her, that his heart ached every time the brush stroked the canvas. But he didn't, he just gazed at her breathtaking beauty before him.

'I didn't know you showcase your work' she said with a smile tugging at her lips, her voice as sweet as a symphony.

'It never came up' he answered with a small smile of his own 'A lot of things didn't come up' he added in a whisper.

Yes, there were a lot of things that she did not know about him, like what he did when he first turned into a vampire, or how his life had been ever since…. or how he looked like when he was asleep, how it would feel to watch him asleep.

'It's really good to see you, Nik' she said after a short moment of silence.

'It's really good to see you, too, Caroline' his eyes burned with that fiery gaze that made her insides turn.

She nervously tucked a blonde strand behind her ear and his eyes caught the bracelet fastened around her wrist.

He swallowed the rising lump in his throat.

'The exhibit will be over within two hours' he said, his voice far more husky than he intended 'Would you like to stay? I can show you around and maybe then buy you a drink?'

Caroline hesitated, looking nervously around

'For old times' sake?' he added, sensing her uncertainty, even though he did not have to for she was going to accept anyway.

She smiled widely at him, her smile radiating with infectious joy 'Yes, I'd really like that'

He smiled his dimpled-smile, the spark in his blue eyes coming to life for the first time in so long as he led her through the gallery.

Maybe the day has finally come for a start over.

* * *

**So this is it everyone. I think I'm gonna cry right now... again. I actually cried editing this because it just didn't hit me that this is ending until I did that. I want to thank every single one of you for staying around long enough till the end and took the time to review and as a last request I'd like to ask every single one of you who read this to leave me a line whether here or on tumblr and tell me what you thought of the story as a whole, the ending, and which chapter was your fav, because I would like to thank each and every one of you in person 3 Thank you SO much guys 3 **

**And A lot of people had been telling me to write a sequel and I toyed with the idea, but I don't know after the epilogue I think the ending is enough of a hint that they would somehow find their way back to each other? I mean I don't know if I can like write more about this story no matter how tempting it is. If you guys are incredibly enthusiastic to see the process of their coming back together I MIGHT do a short sequel of three to four parts, but I can't promise anything, depends on your response to this suggestion :) **

**Thank you so much again guys and yes I have many projects coming up. I already started one AU/AH (A Breeze of Hope) and now I can go back to writing that, because I am so behind on it. And I also have many many ideas for KC stories, I just don't have the time and don't really know should I start but stay tuned, whether here or on tumblr I'll talk about my upcoming projects. **

**I LOVE YOU SO MUCH 3 **

**HAPPY NEW YEAR! **


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